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Ethical Issues in Aviation
The aviation industry is unique in two major firstly, it has a long history of government involvement dating back to the early days of aviation; and secondly, its primary concern is the safety of its passengers and crew. These features highlight the importance of ethical decision-making at all levels of the industry. However, well-publicized problems such as the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 highlight the need for ethics to take a more prominent role in the field. Ethical Issues in Aviation focuses on both past and current topics in aviation, providing the reader with an overview of the major themes in aviation ethics that cover a broad range of subjects. Contributors include academics who do research in the field as well as professionals who provide first-hand accounts of the ethical situations that arise in the aviation industry. This second edition has been thoroughly revised throughout to bring it up to date, and features several new chapters that cover recent events and topics. This book enhances student learning by providing faculty, students, and those interested in aviation with discussion of the most pressing ethical issues that continue to impact the industry.
362 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
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March 6, 2021
(Note: This review applies to the second edition. I should also disclose that I authored one of the chapters in the book, so will avoid reviewing that one.)
On its surface, aviation seems like a pretty straightforward enterprise: get people from point A to point B safely, somewhat efficiently, and moderately cheaply. Yet, peel back the layers a little and you begin to reveal a landscape full of ethical quagmires, from pilot rights to incentivizing services to small towns. This book provides a fascinating introduction to some of these issues, highlighting many of the complexities involved in aviation.
Writing (or editing) this kind of book is very tricky, as it requires deep expertise in both the subject (aviation) and ethical reasoning. Some of the chapters excel at one or the other. For example, the first two chapters by Mark Waymack are among the best introductions to the different foundational ethical views that I've encountered - they're deeply accessible, approachable, and engaging encapsulations of key ideas about thinking ethically. Conversely, Russell Mills' chapter on route incentives and Michael Nolan's chapter on strike- and union-busting are just marvels of content mastery, revealing incredibly interesting case studies.
One challenge, though, is that many of the chapters struggle to excel at engaging both the ethical and aviation dimensions equally. Richard Wilson's chapter on MH370, for example, presents an absolutely essential case study... but it doesn't really engage with substantive ethical questions in any meaningful way. This isn't because they don't exist - MH370 is rich with them, including questions of tradeoffs between realtime monitoring and costs; when a search should be called off; who is responsible to the wide range of victims; etc. But, my hunch is that because many of the authors have expertise in aviation alone, it's not quite as effective as it could be in drawing out the ethical analysis in detail. I wonder about volumes like this adapting a more collaborative authorship structure, wherein content and ethical experts could be paired up.
This lack of expertise in ethical analysis is not just a problem for failing to raise important issues, but also for some 'both-side-ism' that occurs. Ethical analysis can be helpful for outlining the contours of legitimate debates... but it also has an important role to play through incisive criticism of places where power is used to marginalize. There are places where this analysis could be a bit more fruitful through either (a) holding power accountable or (b) putting forward the strongest form of each argument for the readers to see debates in action, rather than hiding behind intentionally vague characterizations (e.g., Bill Parrot's summary table about ATC privatization lists "could speed NextGen" and "could slow NextGen" as a pro and con respectively, with no further commentary or analysis).
It's telling, for example, that Elizabeth Hoppe's chapter (the editor) is really the one that achieves this the best. As an expert in both aviation and ethics, her chapter on regulatory capture is a great demonstration of bringing the two aspects together in a rich way. Through no fault of her own, of course, the chapter is pretty dated because of the 737 MAX scandal (which occurred after publication, but is critical as an example of regulatory capture). But, the overall approach is well done.
Finally, a word of warning: the chapters in the volume on gender and aviation are unfortunately weak. James Sulton III's is particularly emblematic of this, with little of the nuance, critical analysis, and context needed to really engage this issue. Challenges of equity, diversity, and inclusion are so important, so I had hoped for chapters that pushed a bit more courageously and modernly on this topic.
All told, though, this is an interesting and valuable volume. It lays out many interesting case studies and the range of ethical issues involved in aviation, even if it doesn't go quite far enough in the analysis. It's useful for those interested in the topic aviation, but also great as an example of applied ethics in action.
On its surface, aviation seems like a pretty straightforward enterprise: get people from point A to point B safely, somewhat efficiently, and moderately cheaply. Yet, peel back the layers a little and you begin to reveal a landscape full of ethical quagmires, from pilot rights to incentivizing services to small towns. This book provides a fascinating introduction to some of these issues, highlighting many of the complexities involved in aviation.
Writing (or editing) this kind of book is very tricky, as it requires deep expertise in both the subject (aviation) and ethical reasoning. Some of the chapters excel at one or the other. For example, the first two chapters by Mark Waymack are among the best introductions to the different foundational ethical views that I've encountered - they're deeply accessible, approachable, and engaging encapsulations of key ideas about thinking ethically. Conversely, Russell Mills' chapter on route incentives and Michael Nolan's chapter on strike- and union-busting are just marvels of content mastery, revealing incredibly interesting case studies.
One challenge, though, is that many of the chapters struggle to excel at engaging both the ethical and aviation dimensions equally. Richard Wilson's chapter on MH370, for example, presents an absolutely essential case study... but it doesn't really engage with substantive ethical questions in any meaningful way. This isn't because they don't exist - MH370 is rich with them, including questions of tradeoffs between realtime monitoring and costs; when a search should be called off; who is responsible to the wide range of victims; etc. But, my hunch is that because many of the authors have expertise in aviation alone, it's not quite as effective as it could be in drawing out the ethical analysis in detail. I wonder about volumes like this adapting a more collaborative authorship structure, wherein content and ethical experts could be paired up.
This lack of expertise in ethical analysis is not just a problem for failing to raise important issues, but also for some 'both-side-ism' that occurs. Ethical analysis can be helpful for outlining the contours of legitimate debates... but it also has an important role to play through incisive criticism of places where power is used to marginalize. There are places where this analysis could be a bit more fruitful through either (a) holding power accountable or (b) putting forward the strongest form of each argument for the readers to see debates in action, rather than hiding behind intentionally vague characterizations (e.g., Bill Parrot's summary table about ATC privatization lists "could speed NextGen" and "could slow NextGen" as a pro and con respectively, with no further commentary or analysis).
It's telling, for example, that Elizabeth Hoppe's chapter (the editor) is really the one that achieves this the best. As an expert in both aviation and ethics, her chapter on regulatory capture is a great demonstration of bringing the two aspects together in a rich way. Through no fault of her own, of course, the chapter is pretty dated because of the 737 MAX scandal (which occurred after publication, but is critical as an example of regulatory capture). But, the overall approach is well done.
Finally, a word of warning: the chapters in the volume on gender and aviation are unfortunately weak. James Sulton III's is particularly emblematic of this, with little of the nuance, critical analysis, and context needed to really engage this issue. Challenges of equity, diversity, and inclusion are so important, so I had hoped for chapters that pushed a bit more courageously and modernly on this topic.
All told, though, this is an interesting and valuable volume. It lays out many interesting case studies and the range of ethical issues involved in aviation, even if it doesn't go quite far enough in the analysis. It's useful for those interested in the topic aviation, but also great as an example of applied ethics in action.
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