What is computer ethics?
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relatively new field of research
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roots in 1940s - Norbert
Wiener
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narrow philosophical perspective
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broader inclusive perspective
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consider some historical and evolutionary aspects
A period of stagnation
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20 years of inaction
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mid 1960s privacy becomes an issue
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Don Parker
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US and Europe
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Joseph
Weizenbaum - "The computer programmer is a creator of universes for
which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity
can be created in the form of computer programs."
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coined the term Computer Ethics
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Ethical problems specific to computers
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Application of ethical theory
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Different from sociology of computing and technological assessment
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A player since 1980
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takes a broader perspective
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"to integrate computing technology and human values in such a way that
technology advances and protects human values rather than doing damage
to them"
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biography
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logical malleability
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policy vacuums and conceptual muddles
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formulate new policies and strategies for action
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justify on the basis of one's value preferences
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first text book
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new twists
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computer ethics teaching
-
still an important player
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new era
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conceptual dimension
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application dimension
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many views of computer ethics
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perspectives
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social
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professional
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universal activist
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parochial
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ethics only
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multidisciplinary
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starting points
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properties
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concepts
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applications
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human values impact
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use the two sets to categorise activists
-
Jim Moor
-
adopts universal conceptual multidisciplined stance - main message is need
for serious multidisciplinary consideration
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Deborah Johnson
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applied social ethics stance - main message use the older order
-
Terry Bynum
-
universal multidisciplinary social values - main message include human
values in the computer equation
Global perspective
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global laws
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global cyberbusiness
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global education
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information rich and information poor
Doing computer ethics - Bynum
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identify
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clarify
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apply
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"received policy cluster" - starting point for computer ethics
Further Reading
Bynum, T W, (1999) The development of computer ethics as a philosophical
field of study, Australian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics,
vol 1 no 1, July, pp 1-29.
Bynum, T W, (1999) The
foundations of computer ethics, AICEC99 Keynote Address, Melbourne,
Australia, July.
Gotterbarn, D., Rogerson, S., (1997) The
Evolution of the Uniqueness Revolution (What's So Special About Moral Problems
in IT), in Van den Hoven J, (editor), Proceedings of the Conference
on Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry, Erasmus University Press, Rotterdam,
The Netherlands, pp. 151 -159, ISBN 90 56770 22 5.
Johnson, D G , (1994) Computer Ethics, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Maner,
W, (1996) Unique ethical problems in information technology, Science
and Engineering Ethics, Volume 2 No 2, pp 137-155.
Moor, J H, (1985) What is computer ethics?,
Metaphilosophy, Vol 16 No 4, pp 266-279.
Moor, J H, (1998) Reason, Relativity, and Responsibility in
Computer Ethics, Computers and Society, Vol 28, No 1, March, pp 14-21.
Rogerson, S, (1998) Computer and Information Ethics, in: Chadwick,
R, (editor), Encylopedia of Applied
Ethics, Academic Press Inc, San Diego CA USA, pp 563-570.
Rogerson, S, Bynum, T W, (1996) Information
Ethics: The Second Generation, UK Academy for Information Systems conference,
UK.