Personal and ethical components of the engineer in the 21st century

Abstract

The article studies personal components of a modern engineer who is a key figure in the Russian and global space.The vector of thinking, ethical priorities, reflective positions and identities determine the way to find a techno-humanitarian balance as a condition for the survival and prospects of mankind.A significant influence on the formation of engineer’s identities is exerted by historical and cultural traditions.Engineering culture has a connective structure that forms a single space of experience and activity.Memory and continuity are interrelated; identities can belong to any scientific school existing in the educational institution, field of knowledge, or to the Russian engineering school as a whole.The authors indicate that key concepts of identities of a modern engineer are responsibility, ethical reflection and social assessment of technology.Modern engineering ethics is reflected in ethical codes which reveal the ethical space and responsibilities of the engineer and impose responsibility for all processes taking place in a technogenic society.The practical-design approach is based on the tools of the post-non-classical methodology:key components of the engineer’s personal potential are correlated with the university self-developing environment, reflective activities at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and further engineering practice.The study on the personal potential and identities can be used to justify the need to expand the sociohumanitarian paradigm in engineering education, develop the concept “personal potential”, and identify features of engineer’s identity formation.The development of a model for training engineers using sociohumanitarian reflective methods converging personal and professional competencies and ethical priorities meets the role of engineering education, tasks of ensuring the competitiveness of Russian industry.