Conference Session

Engineering Ethics I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York-Binghamton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-765: INTRODUCING ETHICS IN BIOENGINEERINGGeorge Catalano, State University of New York-Binghamton Page 13.799.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008INTRODUCING ETHICS IN BIOENGINEERING Page 13.799.2IntroductionEngineering applies technical knowledge to solve human problems. More completely,engineering is a technological activity that uses professional imagination, judgment,integrity, and intellectual discipline in the application of science, technology,mathematics, and practical experience to design, produce, and operate useful objects orprocesses that meet the needs and desires of a client. Today engineering is seen as

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Riley, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2008-851: ETHICS IN CONTEXT, ETHICS IN ACTION: GETTING BEYONDTHE INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL IN ENGINEERING ETHICS EDUCATIONDonna Riley, Smith College Page 13.570.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Ethics in Context, Ethics in Action: Getting beyond the individual professional in engineering ethics educationAbstractA number of authors have challenged engineering ethics educators to incorporate elements ofwhat may be called “macroethics,” “social ethics” or considerations related to the field of scienceand technology studies (STS) in engineering ethics curricula. To respond to this call effectivelyrequires reform of both content and

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology; daniel ferguson, Illinois Institute of Technology; Elizabeth Howard, Illinois Institute of Technology; June Ferrill, Rice University; Lisa Getzler-Linn, Lehigh University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2008-2812: ENHANCING ETHICAL AWARENESS WITHINUNDERGRADUATE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS BY PREPARING CODESOF ETHICSMargaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology Margaret Hellie Huyck, Ph.D., is Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, within the Institute of Psychology. Her graduate work at the University of Chicago focused on life span human development and the sociology of education. Her academic specialities are adult development and program evaluation. She has major responsibility for the evaluation of the IPRO Program at IIT.daniel ferguson, Illinois Institute of Technology Daniel M. Ferguson, MBA, MSIE, is a Senior Lecturer in the IIT Stuart School of Business, and

Conference Session

Innovations in Biological/Agricultural Education-II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kumar Mallikarjunan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Christan Whysong, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Jenny Lo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Biological & Agricultural

AC 2008-2129: IMPROVING ETHICS STUDIES THROUGH A SPIRALCURRICULUM: PILOTING AN ETHICS DISCUSSION AT THE SENIOR LEVELKumar Mallikarjunan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Dr. Kumar Mallikarjunan is an associate professor in Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. He is interested in understanding and implementing a spiral theme based engineering curriculum for the Biological Systems Engineering program, engineering ethics, and promotion of undergraduate research.Christan Whysong, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Ms. Christan Whysong, a graduate student of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been actively engaged in learning about

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Godfrey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Todd Taylor, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Corinna Fleischmann, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Daniel Pickles, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-916: TEACHING ENGINEERING ETHICS IN A MULTI-DISCIPLINARYENVIRONMENTDavid Godfrey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy David Godfrey, MSEE, PE, is an assistant professor at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). He graduated from USCGA with his BSEE in 1992 and earned his MSEE from University of Rhode Island in 1997. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard. Address: U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Department of Engineering, 27 Mohegan Ave., New London, CT 06320-8101; telephone: 860-444-8536; fax: 860-444-8546; e-mail: David.J.Godfrey@uscga.edu.Todd Taylor, U.S. Coast Guard Academy Todd Taylor is an Associate Professor at the US Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). He is the

Conference Session

Assessment Issues in Environmental Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gayle Davis, United States Military Academy; Michael Butkus, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

act or make decisionsthat are not considered moral or proper by the majority. Merriam-Webster defines ethics as a setof moral principles or a system of moral values.1 Most occupations that require the trust of thegeneral public are held to high ethical standards. These professions include law, medical,engineering, and military, all of which have adopted systems that guide subscribed individualsthrough moral decision making processes. Most learned professions that uphold such standardsprescribe a system of non-mandatory codes of conduct.2 Perhaps the most recognizedprofessional code of ethics was reported by the National Society of Professional Engineers,which defines fundamental canons and includes explicit guidance on professional conduct

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Niewoehner, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-540: MUST ENGINEERING ETHICS PRESUME A SECULARFOUNDATION?Robert Niewoehner, U.S. Naval Academy Page 13.917.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Must Engineering Ethics Presume a Secular Foundation?Abstract Current formulations of engineering ethics presume a strictly secular foundation,despite the strong influence religious perspectives have historically exerted on moralphilosophy, particularly in the West. This paper explores a Christian foundation forengineering ethics, and addresses three principle questions: “Why allow for a non-secular foundation for engineering ethics?” This question is important because diverse sources assert

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brock Barry, Purdue University; Vincent Drnevich, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-621: TRENDS IN THE ETHICAL JUDGMENT OF ENGINEERINGSTUDENTSBrock Barry, Purdue University Doctoral Candidate, School of Engineering EducationVincent Drnevich, Purdue University Professor of Civil Engineering Page 13.1299.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Trends in the Ethical Judgment of Engineering StudentsAbstractThis paper presents a basic trend study conducted at a large university in the midwestern UnitedStates. The results of the study suggest a progressive decline in the understanding of a particularcomponent of ethical judgment among the civil engineering students at the academic institutionwhere the study was conducted

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

bedestroyed or overcome.Complementing personalism in the 20th century was the phenomenological philosophicaltradition that includes figures such as Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), Max Scheler (1874-1928),and Edith Stein (1891-1943). Husserl sees human acts as products of intentionality and as actsof consciousness in and through a body. Scheler’s ethical vision draws upon Kant’s conceptionof the autonomous person, but seeks to ‘personalize’ Kant by characterizing the person as acreature who engages in acts of love. Stein seeks to understand to understand the meaning of thehuman person through acts of sympathy. This phenomenological tradition then sees persons

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Travis Rieder, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-1159: ETHICAL THEORY FOR ENGINEERS: AVOIDING CARICATUREAND INFORMING INTUITIONSTravis Rieder, University of South Carolina Page 13.569.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Ethical Theory for Engineers: Avoiding Caricature and Informing Intuition1A professor of engineering ethics recently commented that she finds it difficult to teachethical theory to engineers, as many students are strongly attracted to an intuitionistmodel of ethics – intuitionist here meaning that the students tend to make ethicaljudgments based largely on how a situation strikes their ‘moral sensibilities.’ One reasonfor this may be that

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gayle Ermer, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2008-2051: UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGICAL FAILURE: ETHICS, EVIL,AND FINITUDE IN ENGINEERING DISASTERSGayle Ermer, Calvin College Page 13.1312.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Understanding Technological Failure: Ethics, Evil, and Finitude in Engineering DisastersAbstractIt is important to know why technological systems sometimes fail catastrophically. Notonly does culpability need to be established justly after a disaster, but the success of newtechnology depends on accurately predicting how technology and the individuals andsocieties with which it interacts will behave. It is nearly always the case that disastersoccur due to

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Papadopoulos; Andrew Hable, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-2533: INCLUDING QUESTIONS OF MILITARY AND DEFENSETECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING ETHICS EDUCATIONChris Papadopoulos, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Chris Papadopoulos earned BS degrees in Civil Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, and a PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell University. He previously served on the faculty of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he is currently a research associate, grant writer, lecturer, and director of educational programs. His research interests include biomechanics, nonlinear structural mechanics, computational mechanics, engineering education, and engineering ethics. He is an active member

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jose Cruz, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; William Frey, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Halley Sanchez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Aury Curbelo, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-2834: DEVELOPING ENGINEERING ETHICS ACROSS THECURRICULUM BEST PRACTICES: THE EAC TOOLKITJose Cruz, University of Puerto Rico-MayaguezWilliam Frey, University of Puerto Rico-MayaguezHalley Sanchez, University of Puerto Rico-MayaguezAury Curbelo, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Page 13.396.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Developing Engineering Ethics Across the Curriculum Best Practices: The EAC ToolkitAbstract - This paper will discuss a new project in ethics across the curriculum teaching andpedagogy, the EAC Toolkit. The Toolkit project, currently under funding by the NationalScience Foundation, is constructing an

Conference Session

New Tools and Techniques for Information Literacy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Baer, Wichita State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

AC 2008-2132: USING VIDEOS TO TEACH THE ETHICAL USE OFENGINEERING INFORMATIONWilliam Baer, Wichita State University WILLIAM M. BAER is an associate professor and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Librarian at Wichita State University. He earned degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering (BS) and Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Brigham Young University. Page 13.1367.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Using Videos to Teach the Ethical Use of Engineering InformationAbstractThe engineering profession has always valued ethical behavior. However, it seems that

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristyn Masters, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Sarah Pfatteicher, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2008-2240: LOWERING THE BARRIERS TO ACHIEVE ETHICS ACROSSTHE ENGINEERING CURRICULUMKristyn Masters, University of Wisconsin - MadisonSarah Pfatteicher, University of Wisconsin - Madison Page 13.858.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Lowering the Barriers to Achieve Ethics across the Engineering CurriculumAbstractDespite the importance of ethics training to accreditation agencies, future employers, instructors,and students themselves, many students graduate from engineering with only a cursoryunderstanding of ethical issues and little experience in making ethical decisions related to theirdiscipline/profession

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pradeep Bhattacharya, Southern University & A&M College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-652: ETHICAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATIONCONTROLLING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGYPradeep Bhattacharya, Southern University & A&M College Page 13.568.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Ethical Issues in Engineering Education Controlling Innovation and Technology Pradeep K. Bhattacharya Department of Electrical Engineering Southern University and A & M College, P. O. Box 9969 Baton Rouge, LA 70813 Email: pradeepbhattacharya@engr.subr.edu AbstractEngineers design

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Jordan, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-1476: USING APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIALENTREPRENEURSHIP TO HELP TRANSFORM POOR COMMUNITIESWilliam Jordan, Baylor University WILLIAM JORDAN is the Mechanical Engineering Department Chair at Baylor University. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.A. degree in Theology from Denver Seminary, and a Ph.D. in mechanics and materials from Texas A & M University. He teaches materials related courses and does research concerning appropriate technology in developing countries. He also writes and does research in the areas of engineering ethics and engineering education

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

M.P. Sharma, University of Wyoming; Robert W. Peters, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Cottrell, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-1616: INTEGRATING ENGINEERING ETHICS EDUCATION INTO AMULTI-DISCIPLINARY SEMINAR COURSE: MAKING THE “SOFT”OUTCOMES RELEVANTDavid Cottrell, University of North Carolina at Charlotte DR. DAVID S. COTTRELL is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1978 and retired in 2000 after more than 22 years of service with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Studies at Texas A&M University resulted in an MS Degree in Civil Engineering in 1987 and a PhD in 1995. He is a registered Professional Engineer and has taught courses in statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, graphic

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Theis, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott; patricia watkins, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Library; Mary Angela Beck, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

“principles of sustainable development”1 as primary to the ASCE’s code of ethics to beimplemented in engineering education. Previously, in June of 1999, the Board of Directors forthe American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) approved the following statement onsustainable development in education: Engineering students should learn about sustainable development and sustainability in the general education component of the curriculum as they are preparing for the major design experience. . . . Engineering faculty should use system approaches, including interdisciplinary teams, to teach pollution prevention techniques, life cycle analysis, industry ecology, and other sustainable engineering concepts.2ASEE has aligned

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B. Kyun Lee, LeTourneau University; Paul Leiffer; R. William Graff, LeTourneau University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-1791: PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN TEACHINGENGINEERING: AN ETHICAL MANDATE TO PRODUCE RESPONSIBLEENGINEERS.B. Kyun Lee, LeTourneau University B. KYUN LEE is a professor in the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology at LeTourneau University, where he taught since 1988. He received his B.S. degree from Young Nam University, M.S. and PH.D. from Oregon State University in mechanical engineering. Prior to joining LeTourneau University, he was a research and development engineer at Hyundai Motor Company. His professional interests include system dynamics, control, and applied mechanics. Email: kyunlee@letu.eduPaul R. Leiffer, LeTourneau University PAUL R. LEIFFER

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norma Mattei, University of New Orleans

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

pressure on academic institutions through accreditationrequirements to provide graduates who understand professional and ethical responsibilities.Academic dishonesty indicates that many students will approach the professional with attitudes Page 13.312.2and habits that run counter to expected professional conduct. Acts of cheating also undermine thevalidity of measures of student learning, interfering with faculty’s ability to correctly determineif a student is “getting it”. This in turn limits the faculty in the ability to effectively reteachcurrent students and adjust instruction for future students. Public confidence in higher educationis also

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Borenstein, Georgia Tech; Matthew Drake, Duquesne University; Robert Kirkman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Julie Swann, Georgia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-339: THE TEST OF ETHICAL SENSITIVITY IN SCIENCE ANDENGINEERING (TESSE): A DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT TOOL FORAWARENESS OF ETHICAL ISSUESJason Borenstein, Georgia TechMatthew Drake, Duquesne UniversityRobert Kirkman, Georgia Institute of TechnologyJulie Swann, Georgia Tech Page 13.1270.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 The Test of Ethical Sensitivity in Science and Engineering (TESSE): A Discipline-Specific Assessment Tool for Awareness of Ethical IssuesI. Introduction There has been much written about the need for integrating ethics into the science andengineering curriculum. Efforts to accomplish this task are ongoing

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York-Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Queen's University; Donna Riley, Smith College; Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

we need to ask ourselvesbefore embarking on any project. Who benefits and who pays? Who needs what andwhen? How will the project survive after the planners have gone? Who contributed to itsplanning and execution? Who decided what was needed? Who paid for it and why? Whatdo they stand to gain? Are proceeds distributed equitably? Does it provide faircompensation for those affected? Are people treated ethically and justly both within andas a result of the project – workers, those affected but not involved and those who are‘users’? Who gets the jobs? Who makes decisions about pay and conditions? Do workershave to relocate? What effect does this have on their lives, their family’s lives and thoseof their community? Is the engineering project

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Marra, University of Missouri; Demei Shen, University of Missouri; David Jonassen, University of Missouri; Jenny Lo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Vinod Lohani, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-150: FOSTERING ENGINEERING ETHICS PROBLEM SOLVINGTHROUGH COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY HYPERTEXT: AN APPLICATION OFMULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, MAKING CONNECTIONS AND CRISSCROSSINGRose Marra, University of Missouri ROSE M. MARRA is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri. She is PI of the NSF-funded Assessing Women and Men in Engineering (AWE) and Assessing Women In Student Environments (AWISE) projects. Her research interests include gender equity issues, the epistemological development of college students, and promoting meaningful learning in web-based environments.Demei Shen, University of Missouri DEMEI SHEN is a doctoral

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics III

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Durfee, Eastern Washington University; William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2008-309: USING THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONALENGINEERS’ (NSPE) ETHICS EXAMINATION AS AN ASSESSMENT TOOL INTHE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUMJason Durfee, Eastern Washington University Jason Durfee is currently an Assistant Professor of Engineering & Design at Eastern Washington University. He received his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University. He holds a Professional Engineer certification. Prior to teaching at Eastern Washington University, he was a military pilot, an engineering instructor at West Point and an airline pilot. His interests include aerospace, aviation, computational fluid dynamics, professional ethics, and piano

Collection

2008 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Chih-Hao Wu; Kim Troboy; Tracy Cole; Loretta Cochran; David Roach

Does Education Have an Impact on Student Ethical Reasoning? Developing an Assessment of Ethical Reasoning for Engineering and Business Students Chih-Hao Wu Department of Electrical Engineering Kim Troboy, Tracy Cole, Loretta Cochran, David Roach School of Business Arkansas Tech UniversityAbstract This paper outlines the development and assessment of ethical reasoning for Engineeringand Business students at Arkansas Tech University. The main focus of this paper is to investigatethe concept of how to teach ethics and assess in a cross-disciplinary fashion whether students areimproving in how

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Byron Newberry, Baylor University; William Lawson, Texas Tech University; Kathy Austin, Texas Tech University; Greta Gorsuch, Texas Tech University; Thomas Darwin, University of Texas at Austin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2008-2589: DESIGN OF WEB-BASED PROFESSIONAL ETHICS MODULESTO ALLEVIATE ACCULTURATION BARRIERS FOR INTERNATIONALGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ENGINEERINGByron Newberry, Baylor University Byron Newberry, P.E., Ph.D. Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Baylor UniversityWilliam Lawson, Texas Tech University William D. Lawson, P.E., Ph.D. Senior Research Associate, National Institute for Engineering Ethics & Assistant Professor Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Texas Tech UniversityKathy Austin, Texas Tech University Katherine A. Austin, Ph.D. Assistant Vice President, Information Technology Division, Texas Tech UniversityGreta Gorsuch, Texas Tech University Greta J

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur Sacks, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

morals and ethics ofothers (Noah Cross), and the damage done to people and place when greed and corruption winout.On a deeper level, the film is a tale about human frailty, the weakness that pervades all the film’scharacters, their innate inability to foresee the future confounded by their inability to see withclarity the world of the present, its truths and complexities as they are. This is especially true ofprivate eye, Jake Gittes, whose blindness ironically prevents him from seeing the world beforehim, though it is his job to see the truth of things, sort them out and solve/resolve complexhuman conflicts and problems. His eye is too private, not open to what his work andresponsibilities require him to see. This failure of sight is true, as

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College-Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

engineering on the basis of the direct use of activities that correspond to the fiveclassical branches of philosophy – aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic and metaphysics. Hedemonstrates the relevance of philosophies such as empiricism, idealism, existentialism,logical positivism, and rationalism. It is unfortunate that he omitted realism from his list sincethe contrasting positions of constructivism and realism have been the subject of a major debatein education especially in the sciences and school education21 and more generally in respect ofethics.22Education and philosophyMany schools of teacher education require their students to take a course in philosophy as itmay be applied to education. There are different ways of approaching such