computer ethics


computer ethics

(philosophy)Ethics is the field of study that is concernedwith questions of value, that is, judgments about what humanbehaviour is "good" or "bad". Ethical judgments are nodifferent in the area of computing from those in any otherarea. Computers raise problems of privacy, ownership, theft,and power, to name but a few.

Computer ethics can be grounded in one of four basicworld-views: Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, or Existentialism.Idealists believe that reality is basically ideas and thatethics therefore involves conforming to ideals. Realistsbelieve that reality is basically nature and that ethicstherefore involves acting according to what is natural.Pragmatists believe that reality is not fixed but is inprocess and that ethics therefore is practical (that is,concerned with what will produce socially-desired results).Existentialists believe reality is self-defined and thatethics therefore is individual (that is, concerned only withone's own conscience). Idealism and Realism can be consideredABSOLUTIST worldviews because they are based on somethingfixed (that is, ideas or nature, respectively). Pragmatismand Existentialism can be considered RELATIVIST worldviewsbecause they are based or something relational (that is,society or the individual, respectively).

Thus ethical judgments will vary, depending on the judge'sworld-view. Some examples:

First consider theft. Suppose a university's computer is usedfor sending an e-mail message to a friend or for conducting afull-blown private business (billing, payroll, inventory,etc.). The absolutist would say that both activities areunethical (while recognising a difference in the amount ofwrong being done). A relativist might say that the latteractivities were wrong because they tied up too much memory andslowed down the machine, but the e-mail message wasn't wrongbecause it had no significant effect on operations.

Next consider privacy. An instructor uses her account toacquire the cumulative grade point average of a student who isin a class which she instructs. She obtained the password forthis restricted information from someone in the Records Officewho erroneously thought that she was the student's advisor.The absolutist would probably say that the instructor actedwrongly, since the only person who is entitled to thisinformation is the student and his or her advisor. Therelativist would probably ask why the instructor wanted theinformation. If she replied that she wanted it to be surethat her grading of the student was consistent with thestudent's overall academic performance record, the relativistmight agree that such use was acceptable.

Finally, consider power. At a particular university, if aprofessor wants a computer account, all she or he need do isrequest one but a student must obtain faculty sponsorship inorder to receive an account. An absolutist (because of aproclivity for hierarchical thinking) might not have a problemwith this divergence in procedure. A relativist, on the otherhand, might question what makes the two situations essentiallydifferent (e.g. are faculty assumed to have more need forcomputers than students? Are students more likely to causeproblems than faculty? Is this a hold-over from the days of"in loco parentis"?).

"Philosophical Bases of Computer Ethics", Professor Robert N. Barger.

Usenet newsgroups: news:bit.listserv.ethics-l,news:alt.soc.ethics.

computer ethics

Social responsibility as applied to the use of computers and technology. Privacy of information as well as regard for digital property that can be easily duplicated are primary ethical issues. However, as time moves on, the more far reaching issue is the impact of technology on jobs. How the world deals with the declining need for people in the workplace as robots, AI and technology replace both skilled and unskilled workers alike is the major ethics issue in the future... and that future is getting closer all the time. See automation and self-driving car.