Applied ethics: Clusters of problems and issues that raise new moral dilemmas and to which we have to try to apply our moral judgments.
Moral: Is the actions which are deemed worth of praise or blame.
Ethics/Ethical: Attempts to determine general basis for choosing and judging moral actions (philosophy)
Modern View: Reason is a calculating device which (in the realm of "ethics") works in helping you satisfy your passions and desires. Your emotions tell you what you want, and reason figures out how to get it for you.
Ancient View: (Ancient thinkers)
- Reason does calculate and compare (as the moderns believe)
- but that it also can discover fundamental principles by which we can guide our lives, our judgments, and our actions.
The theory of good and evil: A metaphysical inquiry into what they are, and whether and in what sense they may be said to exist (metaphysics is the study of what is real).
The theory of right and wrong: An epistemological inquiry concerned with our judgments that certain actions are right or wrong, and how we determine this (epistemology is the theory of knowledge).
The theory of virtue and vice: An inquiry into the conditions under which we assign praise or blame; it includes moral education, the theory of punishment, and "certain aspects of the theory of distributive justice.
- Most pressing questions in computer ethics
- Two cultures of the computer age (Scientific and Humanities)
- Categories of issues that arise in computer ethics
- James H. Moor's definition of computer ethics
- BloomBecker's statement
- Forms of abuse due to the (Invisibility Factor) of computer information
- Invasions of privacy
- Ownership of intellectual property
- Professional responsibility
- Computer reliability (especially in potentially dangerous situations)
- Computer crimes (embezzlement, software theft, computer viruses and other invasions of systems, etc.)
- A changing work environment
- Net related issues (including security, porno materials, theft trough e- business, etc...)
Few will have power and many will be isolated from it, which could lead to a gap both between:
- Rich and poor (Financially)
- Rich and poor (Technologically)
- Create new problems that are unique to the computing realm
- Transform familiar ethical problems into "analogous but unfamiliar ones."
- Aggravate certain traditional ethical problems
- Relieve existing moral problems (rare)
The analysis of the nature and social impact of computer technology and the corresponding formulation and justification of policies for the ethical use of such technology
We are creating a new generation of computer criminals in our computer science departments
- Tampering with computer programs or data,
- Unrecognized biases present in the programs that make important decisions
- Human loss of control and even lack of awareness of the complexity of what is going on in the computer manipulations, including whether they could be in error.
- C. Dianne Martin and David Martin (1990)
- The three pillars for ethics in the computing profession
- ACM Computing Education Board's must-have abilities for field professionalss
Computers often alter relationships among people. Data communications can take place without any personal contact and at such high speed that the individual may not have time to consider the ramifications of a particular transmission. In addition, electronic information is more fragile than, “hardcopy” paper information.
New ethical dilemmas with competing rights and values have arisen due to the advent of high-speed, worldwide transmission; low-cost, mass storage; and multiple-copy dissemination capabilities. Precepts regarding proprietary rights, residual rights, plagiarism, piracy, eavesdropping, privacy, and freedom of expression should be examined and perhaps redefined.
Advancements in computer technology were made under the naive assumption that efficiency was the main purpose or thrust, not moral values. Now the application of ethical principles to computer technology must take its proper place so that the ethical dimension is integrated into the concept of managing technology and the human relationships that accompany technological advancements.
- Society
- Computer Scientist / User
- Computing Technology
- Be able to anticipate the impact of various products on the environment;
- Be able to ask what effect they will have on the quality of life;
- Be aware of related legal rights;
- Appreciate the ethical values that are the basis for those rights;
- Understand the responsibility they will bear, and the possible consequences of failure;
- Understand their own limitations as well as those of their tools.
- Arbitrary -such as “stop on red while driving, and go on green”- but they are useful, since such a law prevents accidents.
- With a deeper basis; ethics examines the basis for principles of action and choice, where such actions and choices affect others.
- Principle of practical
- Ethical principle
- The theory of good and evil (Definitions)
- The theory of right and wrong (Definitions)
- The theory of virtue and vice (Definitions)
- Make your decision based on your emotions, how you feel
- Avoidance (Que sera, sera) attitude- "What will be, will be."
- Pass the Puck
- Base the decision on caring, sympathy, or maternal love
- Find a rational criterion on which to base the decision
- Your individual feelings (or "intuitions") tell you what is best for you.
- Feelings such as anger, frustration, thrill, urge, etc...
- The Undecided: Never make a serious decision; you might make a mistake
- The Gambler: Leave the decision up to chance, or fate
- The Lazy Irrational Coin-Tosser: Lazy to do the work for decision making
- The Rational Coin-Tosser: No enough information so you will leave it up to fat
- Finding a scapegoat: Always make sure that someone else is in line to take the fall
- Going by the "book": Always go with what precedent or authority says.
- Following the crowd: To suppose that what the majority thinks is always the best thing to do.
- the range of those we care for may be too narrow
- What is needed: combining love and care (eros) with reason (logos) put a moral "heart" into our ethical deliberations.
- Given the inadequacies of our earlier choices, this looks pretty good.
- But it still needs some work.
- Aristotle's distinction between means and ends:
- The (end/purpose), of an action is the reason for doing it.
- The (means) is simply the way in which one gets to the end
- There may be a number of different means to an end, and reason will help you decide which means is the best.
- Aristotle noted that the choice of ends (goals) is the most important thing in a human life. Therefore, reason can tell you where (end purpose of action, goal) you should be heading (through intuitive reason), as well as how (means) to get there (through calculating reason).