Ethics in a Computing Culture
Chapter 1
Critical Reasoning and Moral
Theory
Ethics
• Ethics is the study of
rational choices.
– Rational: reasoned,
optimized for goal or
problem
Ethics in a Computing Culture
• Ethical = Doing the right
thing
–
How do we define the
right thing?
•
Where we place the
value
2
Morality
• Tavani describes morality as a:
– “system of rules for guiding human conduct & the principles for
evaluating those rules.”
Ethics in a Computing Culture
3
Case: Borrowing a Password (Scenario 1)
1. Did anyone do anything “wrong”?
2. How do you interpret the word “wrong” in this case?
3. Would it make a difference if there was a university policy again
sharing passwords/logins?
4. If a university policy stated that providing passwords to others is
prohibited, would the action be wrong?
5. This case did not specify why Josh’s account was disabled.
1. How does this hinder your ability to decide the morality of this
case?
6. If they were seniors?
7. Computer experience?
Ethics in a Computing Culture
4
Case: Borrowing a Password (Scenario 2)
How would you react if Alice were a software engineer at a
software development firm?
1. Did anyone do anything wrong?
2. What if Josh is moving to Beta software? Would this
information affect your previous decision?
3. What if Alice’s job has a confidentiality req.?
1. What if Alice had overlooked the confidentiality req.? Would
her unawareness keep her action from being considered
immoral?
4. What if Alice denies Josh the account use. Did anyone do
anything wrong?
Ethics in a Computing Culture
5
Case: Borrowing a Password (scenario 3)
Alpha monitored E’ee Alice’s account and saw a file be sent
outside the co network. Alice’s boss Carol fires her.
1. Did anyone do anything wrong? How are we defining wrong?
2. Suppose Alpha never told E’ees like Alice their emails were
monitored? Does that change whether firing was wrong?
3. What if Carol had been caught doing something similar but
was only warned? Is that wrong?
4. Suppose we agree that it was fair to firing is a fair option,
what if we know that Josh did not examine any of Alice’s files.
Is the firing fair?
Ethics in a Computing Culture
6
Professional Ethics
• Many professions hold their members to a higher standard of
behavior.
– Computing professionals: http://iccp.org/coe
– Physicians: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medicalethics/code-medical-ethics.page
– Attorneys:
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/
model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct
_table_of_contents.html
– Teachers: http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm
– Social workers: http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp
– Law enforcement:
http://www.theiacp.org/PoliceServices/ProfessionalAssistance/Ethics/ModelP
olicyonStandardsofConduct/tabid/196/Default.aspx
Ethics in a Computing Culture
7
Case: Warning or Ticket? (scenario 1)
• Dolores ran stop sign.
• Consider the affected parties, as well as the risks,
involved with Dolores’ failure to stop at the stop sign.
1. What should Officer Schmidt do in this situation warning, citation, or arrest?
2. What if Dolores had been an unknown 18 y o
male?
3. What if Schmidt and Dolores had been romatically
involved?
4. What if Dolores had been rude to Schmidt?
5. Other info that would help you have a clear
opinion?
8
Ethics in a Computing Culture
Case: Warning or Ticket? (scenario 2)
• Dolores ran stop sign and someone was injured.
1.
What should Officer Schmidt do in this situation -
warning, citation, or arrest?
2. Dolores hit mayor. Does that change the action Schmidt
should take?
3. Suppose Dolores had had a warning on this exact
behavior last week?
Ethics in a Computing Culture
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Case: Warning or Ticket?
• No harm, no foul: principle that states it is wrong to
punish someone for a simple mistake when no actual
harm has been done
Ethics in a Computing Culture
10
Morality and Ethics
• Ethics: a set of morally permissible standards for a
group
• Morality: the standards desired by all humans at their
rational best.
•Standards of morality are similar to standards of
language: Rules regarding human behavior are complex
and have many exceptions.
Ethics in a Computing Culture
11
Moral Theory
• The basic equation for defining morality:
– How do I know that X is good?
– Why is X good?
An action might be unethical, yet remain morally
permissible.
Ethics in a Computing Culture
12
Moral Theory (continued)
• Religious ethics: ‘doing the right thing’ usually is
achieved by obeying the dictates of one’s religion
• Divine Command Theory: God, and only God, decrees what is
right and what is wrong
– Disagreement among godly men (Aquinas & Calvin, Luther)
– Can a person who is not religious act morally?
Ethics in a Computing Culture
13
Moral Theory (continued)
• Cultural Relativism: there is no valid, rational criterion
for determining if the right thing to do exists
– members of one culture should not judge or be
judged by a different culture
– Cultural Relativism goes beyond tolerance…
Ethics in a Computing Culture
14
Moral Theory (continued)
• Virtue Theory: concerns the nature of virtue and what it
means to have virtue
– Asks what would a good person do in this situation.
– P. 14 examine Aristotle's virtues and vices
– Ideal Man: one who possesses the characteristics of a good
person (virtues), including courage, friendliness, and modesty
• Ideal mean: represent s the half-way point between risk and
generosity
Ethics in a Computing Culture
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Moral Theory (continued)
– Righteous Indignation: the anger we feel at someone’s
undeserved good or bad fortune
• Dolores deserves to get the ticket because she
broke the law, and her behavior endangered others
– Virtue Ethics: agent-centered as opposed to action-centered
Ethics in a Computing Culture
16
Ethics as a Meta-Norm
• Weakness of these theories / search for rules with
universal validity
– Lasting and durable value
– Transcends space and time
– Intrinsic human goods and the moral choices to realize
those goods.
– These principles work in diverse cultures
» Cyberethics by Spinello, p. 4
Ethics in a Computing Culture
17
Ethics
•
Ethical = Doing the right thing
–
How do we define the right thing?
– Where we place the value
• Ethics is the study of rational choices.
•
Two dominant theories:
1.
2.
Deontological
Teleological