Computing and Technology Ethics

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CONTENTS

  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. PART ONE   TEXTBOOK
  5. CHAPTER 1   WHY ETHICS? WHY SCIENCE FICTION?
  6. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  7. 1.1     INTRODUCTION
  8. SIDEBAR: THIS IS A SIDEBAR!
  9. 1.2     WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY, “IS IT ETHICAL …”?
  10. 1.3     WHY STUDY ETHICS?
  11. 1.3.1  BASIC/PERENNIAL PROBLEMS IN ETHICS
  12. 1.3.2  SELF-INTEREST AND ETHICAL LIVING: CAN YOU DO BOTH AT ONCE?
  13. SIDEBAR: ETHICS AND MORALITY—WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
  14. 1.4     WHY THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND ETHICS TOGETHER?
  15. 1.4.1  HOW HAVE RECENT ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY CHANGED THE CONDITIONS FOR ETHICS?
  16. 1.4.2  WHY SHOULD COMPUTING PROFESSIONALS STUDY ETHICS?
  17. 1.5     WHY USE SCIENCE FICTION TO STUDY ETHICS?
  18. STORY POINT: “APOLOGIA,” BY VAJRA CHANDRASEKERA
  19. 1.6     PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND GUIDELINES
  20. 1.7     THINKING WITH ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS
  21. 1.8     LIFE AFTER ETHICS CLASS
  22. 1.9     THE REST OF THIS BOOK
  23. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  24. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  25. CHAPTER 2   ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS
  26. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  27. 2.1     INTRODUCTION
  28. 2.1.1  MULTIPLE FRAMEWORKS
  29. 2.1.2  LIMITED FRAMES
  30. 2.1.3  HOW TO READ THIS CHAPTER
  31. 2.2     DEONTOLOGY
  32. 2.2.1  OVERVIEW OF DEONTOLOGY
  33. 2.2.2  DEONTIC FORMS OF AUTHORITY AND TRADITIONS
  34. POLITICAL AUTHORITY
  35. DIVINE AUTHORITY
  36. SIDEBAR: OBLIGATIONS AND PROHIBITIONS
  37. THE AUTHORITY OF HUMAN REASON
  38. 2.2.3  KANTIAN DEONTOLOGY
  39. 2.2.4  PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
  40. 2.2.5  MODALITIES FOR JUDGMENT
  41. HOW FUNDAMENTAL IS IT?
  42. HOW RELEVANT IS IT?
  43. SIDEBAR: PRIORITIZING THE RIGHT OVER THE GOOD
  44. 2.2.6  STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF DEONTOLOGY: IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT RULES
  45. SIDEBAR: THE CHALLENGES OF DEONTOLOGY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
  46. STORY POINT: “DOLLY,” BY ELIZABETH BEAR
  47. 2.3     VIRTUE ETHICS
  48. 2.3.1  OVERVIEW OF VIRTUE ETHICS
  49. 2.3.2  WHAT ARE VIRTUES?
  50. 2.3.3  CONFUCIAN VIRTUE ETHICS
  51. 2.3.4  ARISTOTELIAN VIRTUE ETHICS
  52. 2.3.5  APPETITES, DESIRES, AND VIRTUOUSNESS
  53. 2.3.6  HABITUATION: DEVELOPING VIRTUE
  54. 2.3.7  HOW THE VIRTUES WORK IN TANDEM
  55. 2.3.8  MODALITIES FOR JUDGMENT
  56. PRACTICAL WISDOM
  57. FINDING THE MEAN
  58. SIDEBAR: ARISTOTELIAN VIRTUES AS A MEAN BETWEEN VICES
  59. 2.3.9  STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF VIRTUE ETHICS: FLOURISHING IS EASY (ONCE YOU’RE THERE)
  60. SIDEBAR: UNDERSTANDING VIRTUE ETHICS THROUGH ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
  61. STORY POINT: “THE GAMBLER,” BY PAOLO BACIGALUPI
  62. 2.4     COMMUNITARIANISM
  63. 2.4.1  OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITARIANISM
  64. 2.4.2  SOURCES OF COMMUNITARIAN ETHICS
  65. 2.4.3  PERSON, COMMUNITY, AND WORLD: SUB-SAHARAN METAPHYSICS
  66. SIDEBAR: THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN SUB-SAHARAN COMMUNITARIAN THOUGHT
  67. 2.4.4  SELF-REALIZATION IN SUB-SAHARAN COMMUNITARIANISM
  68. SIDEBAR: AGENT-CENTERED VS. PATIENT-CENTERED PERSONHOOD
  69. 2.4.5  UBUNTU
  70. 2.4.6  YORÙBÁ COMMUNITARIANISM
  71. 2.4.7  IS THE COMMUNITY AN INTRINSIC GOOD OR AN INSTRUMENTAL ONE?
  72. 2.4.8  MODALITIES FOR JUDGMENT
  73. THE CONSENSUS PRINCIPLE
  74. THE PRINCIPLE OF BUILDING COMMUNITY
  75. THE PRINCIPLE OF PEACE/REHABILITATION
  76. 2.4.9  STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF COMMUNITARIANISM: TENSIONS WITH THE LIBERAL TRADITION
  77. STORY POINT: “THE REGRESSION TEST,” BY WOLE TALABI
  78. 2.5     UTILITARIANISM
  79. 2.5.1  OVERVIEW OF UTILITARIANISM
  80. 2.5.2  CLASSICAL UTILITARIANISM
  81. 2.5.3  PREFERENCE UTILITARIANISM
  82. 2.5.4  VOLUNTARY ACTION
  83. 2.5.5  MODALITIES FOR JUDGMENT
  84. THE “WHO”
  85. THE “WHAT”
  86. THE “WHEN”
  87. 2.5.6  CALCULATING GOOD OUTCOMES
  88. 2.5.7  STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF UTILITARIANISM: DOES EVERYONE REALLY COUNT AS ONE?
  89. SIDEBAR: UTILITARIANISM AND MACHINE LEARNING
  90. STORY POINT: “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE,” BY NALO HOPKINSON
  91. 2.6     CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS IN ETHICS
  92. 2.6.1  RESPONSIBILITY ETHICS
  93. STORY POINT: “CODENAME: DELPHI,” BY LINDA NAGATA
  94. 2.6.2  FEMINIST ETHICS
  95. STORY POINT: “TODAY I AM PAUL,” BY MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER
  96. 2.6.3  THE CAPABILITY APPROACH
  97. STORY POINT: “WELCOME TO YOUR AUTHENTIC INDIAN EXPERIENCE™,” BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
  98. 2.7     CONCLUDING REMARKS: THE IMPORTANCE OF MULTIPLE FRAMEWORKS
  99. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  100. BACKGROUND REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
  101. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  102. CHAPTER 3   MANAGING KNOWLEDGE
  103. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  104. 3.1     INTRODUCTION
  105. 3.1.1  CHAPTER OVERVIEW
  106. 3.2     THE THINGS WE KNOW ARE NOT VALUE NEUTRAL
  107. 3.2.1  THE DIKW PARADIGM AND ITS SHORTCOMINGS
  108. 3.2.2  HOW THE DIKW PARADIGM LIMITS OUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD
  109. 3.2.3  CULTURES OF KNOWLEDGE: REVISING THE DIKW PARADIGM
  110. 3.2.4  HOW DOES WISDOM FIT IN?
  111. SIDEBAR: SKEPTICISM
  112. STORY POINT: “HERE-AND-NOW,” BY KEN LIU
  113. 3.3     IT IS DIFFICULT TO MARSHAL LARGE BODIES OF INFORMATION
  114. SIDEBAR: DECISION FATIGUE
  115. STORY POINT: “CODENAME: DELPHI,” BY LINDA NAGATA
  116. 3.4     AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING SYSTEMS AND BIAS
  117. 3.5     STORING KNOWLEDGE OUTSIDE OURSELVES: HOW DOES IT AFFECT US AS INDIVIDUALS?
  118. 3.5.1  STORING KNOWLEDGE IN ANCIENT TIMES
  119. 3.5.2  HOW COMPUTERS CHANGE THINGS
  120. 3.5.3  THE VULNERABILITY OF STORED IDEAS
  121. STORY POINT: “LACUNA HEIGHTS,” BY THEODORE MCCOMBS
  122. 3.6     STORING KNOWLEDGE OUTSIDE OURSELVES: HOW DOES IT AFFECT OUR COMMUNITIES?
  123. 3.6.1  COMMUNITY CONTEXT AND DIKW
  124. 3.6.2  TRANSMITTING KNOWLEDGE ACROSS CULTURES
  125. 3.6.3  EVERYONE’S AN EXPERT: INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE IN THE AGE OF MASS PLATFORMING
  126. STORY POINT: “WELCOME TO YOUR AUTHENTIC INDIAN EXPERIENCE™,” BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
  127. 3.7     CLOSING THOUGHTS: KNOWLEDGE AND SELFHOOD
  128. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  129. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  130. CHAPTER 4   PERSONHOOD AND PRIVACY
  131. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  132. 4.1     INTRODUCTION
  133. 4.1.1  WHY PRIVACY?
  134. 4.2     WHAT IS PERSONHOOD? DEFINING THE QUESTION
  135. 4.2.1  PERSONHOOD AND HUMAN IDENTITY
  136. 4.2.2  PERSONHOOD AND PERSONAL IDENTITY
  137. 4.2.3  INDIVIDUATION AND CONTINUITY OF IDENTITY
  138. 4.2.4  THE SELF, IDENTITY, AND NARRATIVIZATION
  139. STORY POINT: “WELCOME TO YOUR AUTHENTIC INDIAN EXPERIENCE™,” BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
  140. 4.2.5  MORAL AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY
  141. 4.3     PERSONHOOD AND TECHNOLOGY
  142. 4.3.1  TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN IDENTITY
  143. STORY POINT: “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE,” BY NALO HOPKINSON
  144. 4.3.2  ANTHROPOMORPHISM: PERSONIFYING TECHNOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS
  145. STORY POINT: “DOLLY,” BY ELIZABETH BEAR
  146. 4.3.3  AI AND RESPONSIBILITY
  147. STORY POINT: “ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL,” BY T. CORAGHESSAN BOYLE
  148. 4.3.4  DO WE NEED BODIES?
  149. 4.3.5  TECHNOLOGY AND RESPONSIBILITY
  150. 4.3.6  TECHNOLOGY AND MEMORY
  151. 4.3.7  TECHNOLOGY AND NARRATIVE IDENTITY
  152. STORY POINT: “LACUNA HEIGHTS,” BY THEODORE MCCOMBS
  153. 4.3.8  AVATARS AND SELF-PRESENTATION
  154. STORY POINT: “NOT SMART, NOT CLEVER,” BY E. SAXEY
  155. 4.4     THE POWERS AND LIMITS OF DEFINITIONS
  156. 4.5     PRIVACY AND PERSONHOOD
  157. 4.5.1  TYING PERSONHOOD AND PRIVACY TOGETHER: THREE EXAMPLES
  158. EXAMPLE 1: OPEN OFFICES
  159. EXAMPLE 2: RE-EVALUATING GENDER IDENTITY
  160. SIDEBAR: SEX AND GENDER
  161. EXAMPLE 3: PRISONS
  162. 4.5.2  WHAT IS PRIVACY?
  163. 4.5.3  PRIVACY, OWNERSHIP, AND SELF-POSSESSION
  164. 4.5.4  PRIVACY AS A LEGAL RIGHT
  165. 4.5.5  PRIVACY AS A VALUE
  166. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL VALUES
  167. SIDEBAR: THE PRIVACY VS. SECURITY FALLACY
  168. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
  169. INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS
  170. 4.5.6  IS PRIVACY ALWAYS GOOD?
  171. STORY POINT: “HERE-AND-NOW,” BY KEN LIU
  172. 4.6     BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: PRIVACY, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, AND PERSONHOOD
  173. 4.6.1  THE EVOLUTION OF DATA AND DATA COLLECTION
  174. 4.6.2  WHY PRIVACY MATTERS FOR PERSONHOOD
  175. ARE YOU YOUR DATA?
  176. DATA CAN CHANGE WHO WE ARE
  177. 4.7     CONCLUDING REMARKS
  178. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  179. BACKGROUND REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
  180. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  181. CHAPTER 5   TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY
  182. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  183. 5.1     INTRODUCTION
  184. 5.1.1  CHAPTER OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
  185. SIDEBAR: WHAT IS A SOCIETY?
  186. 5.2     TECHNOLOGY: PROBLEMATIZING THE CONCEPT
  187. 5.2.1  IS TECHNOLOGY A SIMPLE MATTER OF MEANS AND ENDS?
  188. 5.2.2  TECHNOCRACY AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
  189. SIDEBAR: OVERPROMISING IN THE HISTORY OF AI
  190. 5.2.3  REFLECTING ON UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: EXTERNALIST VS. INTERNALIST APPROACHES
  191. 5.2.4  TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIATION
  192. 5.3     INTRODUCING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
  193. 5.4     ANALYZING SOCIOTECHNICAL SYSTEMS
  194. 5.4.1  EXPERIMENTATION AND RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
  195. 5.4.2  CONSTRUCTING ABSTRACTIONS AND FRAMING PROBLEMS
  196. SIDEBAR: PERFORMATIVITY
  197. SIDEBAR: PHOTOGRAPHY: WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET
  198. 5.4.3  STRATEGIES FOR ANALYSIS
  199. IDENTIFYING TRAPS
  200. ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS
  201. WHO HAS ACCESS?
  202. WHO OR WHAT IS AFFECTED?
  203. WHAT’S THE RESPONSE, AND WHY?
  204. SIDEBAR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
  205. 5.5     TECHNOLOGY IN CONTEXT: SOCIAL SPHERES
  206. 5.5.1  STRUCTURES OF CARE
  207. MEDICAL CARE
  208. ECONOMIC CARE
  209. STORY POINT: “TODAY I AM PAUL,” BY MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER
  210. 5.5.2  PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND POLITICAL DELIBERATION
  211. PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND FREE SPEECH
  212. ACCESS TO INFORMATION
  213. STORY POINT: “APOLOGIA,” BY VAJRA CHANDRASEKERA
  214. 5.5.3  COMPANIONSHIP, FRIENDSHIP, AND COMMUNITIES
  215. ONE-TO-ONE RELATIONSHIPS
  216. ONE TO MANY: COMMUNITIES AND GROUP FRIENDSHIPS
  217. STORY POINT: “THE REGRESSION TEST,” BY WOLE TALABI
  218. 5.5.4  ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
  219. SIDEBAR: THE ANTHROPOCENE: NAMING HUMAN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
  220. ENGAGING WITH THE NATURAL WORLD
  221. USING NATURAL RESOURCES
  222. STORY POINT: “THE GAMBLER,” BY PAOLO BACIGALUPI
  223. 5.5.5  STATE POWER AND FORCE
  224. POLICING
  225. SURVEILLANCE
  226. WAR
  227. STORY POINT: “ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL,” BY T. CORAGHESSAN BOYLE
  228. 5.5.6  WORK AND LABOR
  229. AUTOMATION
  230. REMOTE AND PLATFORM WORK
  231. STORY POINT: “LACUNA HEIGHTS,” BY THEODORE MCCOMBS
  232. 5.6     CLOSING THOUGHTS: MAINTAINING A BROAD VIEW
  233. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  234. BACKGROUND REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
  235. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  236. CHAPTER 6   PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
  237. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  238. 6.1     INTRODUCTION
  239. 6.2     PROFESSIONS
  240. 6.2.1  WHAT IS A PROFESSION?
  241. 6.2.2  A BRIEF HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND CODES OF ETHICS IN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
  242. 6.2.3  PROFESSIONALIZATION IN COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY
  243. 6.2.4  PROFESSIONS AND THE LAW
  244. SIDEBAR: METAPHORS, PERSONHOOD, TECHNOLOGY, AND AUTONOMOUS CARS
  245. STORY POINT: “NOT SMART, NOT CLEVER,” BY E. SAXEY
  246. 6.3     CODES OF ETHICS
  247. 6.3.1  DEEP DIVE: THE ACM AND IEEE CODES OF ETHICS
  248. 6.3.2  PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES FOR ALGORITHMS: BIAS, TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
  249. STORY POINT: “ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL,” BY T. CORAGHESSAN BOYLE
  250. 6.3.3  THE FUNCTIONS OF AND USING CODES OF ETHICS
  251. STORY POINT: “CODENAME: DELPHI,” BY LINDA NAGATA
  252. 6.4     SOME SUGGESTIONS ON MAKING ETHICAL DECISIONS IN PRACTICE
  253. 6.5     CODES OF ETHICS, ETHICAL THINKING, AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE
  254. STORY POINT: “THE GAMBLER,” BY PAOLO BACIGALUPI
  255. REFLECTION QUESTIONS
  256. BACKGROUND REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL READING
  257. REFERENCES CITED IN THIS CHAPTER
  258. PART TWO   ANTHOLOGY
  259. INTRODUCTION TO THE STORY BANK
  260. A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR READING THE STORIES
  261. A STORY ISN’T REDUCIBLE TO THE IDEAS IT CONTAINS
  262. STORIES DON’T HAVE ANSWERS
  263. SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WILL REMAIN UNRESOLVABLE—AND THAT’S A FEATURE!
  264. SUGGESTED STORY POINTS
  265. “DOLLY,” BY ELIZABETH BEAR
  266. “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE,” BY NALO HOPKINSON
  267. “THE GAMBLER,” BY PAOLO BACIGALUPI
  268. “THE REGRESSION TEST,” BY WOLE TALABI
  269. “APOLOGIA,” BY VAJRA CHANDRASEKERA
  270. “ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL,” BY T. CORAGHESSAN BOYLE
  271. “CODENAME: DELPHI,” BY LINDA NAGATA 405
  272. “HERE-AND-NOW,” BY KEN LIU
  273. “LACUNA HEIGHTS,” BY THEODORE MCCOMBS
  274. “NOT SMART, NOT CLEVER,” BY E. SAXEY
  275. “TODAY I AM PAUL,” BY MARTIN L. SHOEMAKER
  276. “WELCOME TO YOUR AUTHENTIC INDIAN EXPERIENCE™,” BY REBECCA ROANHORSE
  277. INDEX

LIST OF FIGURES

  1. FIGURE 3.1: The DIKW pyramid.
  2. FIGURE 4.1: A dog enjoying online pseudonymity. “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” is an adage and internet meme about anonymity that began as a caption to a cartoon drawn by Peter Steiner, published in the New Yorker on July 5, 1993.
  3. FIGURE 4.2: In a 2007 World of Warcraft commercial, Mr. T shows off his Night Elf likeness.