2012

PHILOSOPHY MATENCHI MP

[CHALLENGER SPACE SHUTTLE]

200916707

CPS 3A 01 2012 MP MATENCHI 200916707 15 MAY 2012

CHALLENGER SPACE SHUTTLE

The challenger space shuttle was lost during an explosion as it took off from Cape Canaveral on January 28 in 1986, killing seven people on board. The launch of the shuttle was delayed due to bad weather conditions for two hours, engineers had a go ahead at the lift off which end up in disastrous event 73 seconds later after the shuttle launched when the shuttle exploded. The cause of the explosion was the failure of the art joint seal in the right SRB due to the cold weather. The engineer Roger Boisjoly was aware of the dangers if the space shuttle was to be launched in those cold weather conditions, he had past reports that showed that it was not safe to launch but other engineers did not pay attention to him and had a go ahead of launching the shuttle. The action of allowing the launch was unprofessional by the engineers because they failed to apply their special knowledge and skills to make correct decisions, because their decision was based on self interest, self deception, egocentric tendency, and groupthink and ignored the critical factors such as safety of the astronauts. Also the NASA was not virtuous because their action resulted in sadness and pain since there was so much harm on the astronauts and their families as whole. The NASA also failed to notify the astronauts about the situation and its risk. Ignorance was the most ethical issue since the engineers ignored the warnings from Roger Boisjoly who was so furious when they voted against him for the launched. The Kants theory states that that all our actions are performed for two reasons, to achieve an end we find desirable which is motivated by inclination of passion and emotions which is not moral. Or to fulfil our obligations under moral law and manifest good will clearly NASAs action were based on passion and emotions which is not moral according to Kants theory and I agree with it because if NASA had a will to do good they would have been stopped the launch and obligate under moral law considering the safety of the astronauts and billions of dollars that was spend on the shuttle. NASA being the big organisation for launching space shuttle their actions should be those which should be a universal law which means they should apply to all and have good will and morality. The Kants theory is more of the Aristotle theory that states that our purpose as humans is to think and is what makes us different from other living organisms which is

what NASA should have done to use their reasoning before performing any actions because if reasoning is used and applying the virtue theory none of their actions could have done any harm. If the above theories were applied the disaster could have been prevented because first being virtuous means having the will to do good by maximising your actions by acting morally and using reasoning before making any actions. The engineers should have been virtuous and took the warnings into considerations and use risk criteria to make a best decision this is also known as the utilitarianism. The utilitarianism rule proposes that practical consequences are considered before an action is carried out. This utility rule helps to come up with a right decision and act virtuously and that also bring happiness because according to Kant all virtues actions bring happiness. The engineer Roger Boisjoly is a good example of a virtuous person because he did his best to try and warn other engineers about the catastrophic dangers of launching the shuttle at such bad weather conditions, he applied the universal law and used his reasoning for his actions and that is what the profession of engineering require to have a will to do good. The case study shows how a little margin of errors and ignorance can lead to disastrous event, seven people being killed in front of their families and the world as a whole due to these ethical issues and can also cost a lot of money when disaster occurs. The explosion of the shuttle was hoped to be a lesson learned by NASA to never use their ego and self interest but it wasnt for long before other disaster occurring due to this ethical issues of not having a will to do good and being immoral, in 2003 a Columbia space shuttle also exploded and seven more astronauts lost their lives this showed that NASA has failed to leaned the message from challenger space shuttle. I personally think NASA has to go back to drawing board and see were they going wrong and teach their engineers the theory of good will and remind them of how catastrophic their actions affect the society and economy since billions of dollars are being spent on rebuilding the shuttle. The lesson I have learned from the case study as an engineering student was that I have to use my reasoning and be virtuous in the field of engineering as errors and ignorance lead to horrible disasters.

REFFERNCE
Alexander, L. a. M. M., Nov 21, 2007. Deontological Ethics. Fall 2008 Edition ed. s.l.:The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Allan J McDonald, J. R. H., April 26, 2009 . Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. Florida: University Press of Florida. Harris, E. P. M. R. M., 01 March 2009. Engineering Ethics. s.l.:Wadsworth.