Virtuous Design

About Virtuous Design

Abstract

Virtues such as patience, courage, kindness, and humility are desirable individual characteristics. Beyond personal application, some virtues also apply to professional life, such as integrity and honesty. In this paper, I will argue that many personal virtues should also apply to professional life. Further, I will make the case that application of virtues to the profession of engineering extends to the design of technology. Decision-making and tradeoffs are central to the engineering design process. The criteria for balancing these tradeoffs typically include such factors as the cost of an approach, the anticipated reliability of the solution, and so forth. How does a Christian make these decisions in a way that is consistent with a Biblical worldview? I suggest that applying virtues to the design process itself is a step in that direction. By explicitly considering the claims of virtues such as justice, stewardship, and humility, one can honor and glorify God through technology design. Good designs will enable users to practice virtues as well.