Ethical Groundings: Uncovering Boeing's Moral Responsibility for the 737 MAX Crashes

This paper offers a thorough inspection of the Boeing 737 MAX crashes from an ethical perspective, mainly looking into care ethics. While many of the found articles surround the technical and regulatory failures surrounding the crashes, this analysis looks into Boeing’s moral responsibilities in the design and manufacturing of aircraft. On the basis of care ethics, this paper argues that Boeing can be held ethically responsible for the 737 MAX incidents by evaluating its actions through the stages of care: attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness.This analysis will bring to light Boeing’s failures in safety and customer welfare. Their rush to contend with their competitors led to the hurried execution of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a critical software intended to prevent mid-air stalls but ultimately led to the catastrophic failures. Boeing’s record of prioritizing profits over safety resulted in insufficient training for pilots and the omission of crucial information about the MCAS from manuals. Additionally, Boeing’s internal culture nurtured an environment where employee safety concerns were ignored, representing a lack of concern by the company as a whole towards ensuring the safety of its aircraft and potentially other Boeing divisions.Boeing’s regular communications with federal regulators demonstrates a contempt for ethical principles. The company exploited its position of power to deceive regulators and accelerate the federal certification process, selecting its own interests over the welfare of its travelers. The management of the regulatory framework by Boeing undermines the trust placed in Boeing by both regulators and customers.In conclusion, this study highlights the moral faults of Boeing in the development and certification of the Boeing 737 MAX. By neglecting their duty of care and prioritizing profit-driven motives, Boeing compromised the care of customers and diminished trust in the aviation industry. The paper suggests that prospective engineering activities must prioritize ethical considerations, balancing corporate interests with the welfare of the community, to prevent catastrophes in the future.