Ethics
Presented by Trisha Cummings
Simple Definition
• Comes from the Greek word – Ethos
meaning character
• Ethics define what is good for individuals
and society.
• Unethical behavior is not necessarily
unlawful – such as lying or betraying
someone
• Ethics tend to be codified into a formal
system or set of rules which are then
adopted by a group of people.
• Business’s operate from their own set of
ethics – such as legal ethics, business
ethics, medical ethics, computer ethics,
etc …..
Morals
• Moral – comes from the Roman word
mores
• A system of ideas about right and wrong –
a code of conduct put forth by society, a
group or religion.
• Tend to get jumbled up with religion but is
not only confined to religion.
• These are standards accepted by individuals
to govern their behavior
Examples of Moral Systems
• The Golden Rule
• The Ten Commandments
• An It Harm None
• Four Noble Truths/Noble Eightfold Path
• Dharma Sutras
• Torah
Values
• Values are the internal rules by which we
make decisions about right and wrong,
should and shouldn't, good and bad.
• Additionally, they tell us when something is
more important or less important, which is
helpful when we have to decide to
compromise or make trade offs choosing
one value over another.
• The difference between ethics and morals can
is a basic, subtle, difference.
• Morals define personal character.
• Ethics stress a social system in which those
morals are applied.
• Ethics point to standards or codes of
behavior expected by the group to which the
individual belongs.
• So while a person’s moral code is usually
unchanging, the ethics he or she practices can
be dependent on your group affiliation.
• As children we are given rules of behavior –
don’t lie, don’t hit, don’t steal, don’t cheat
• Behaving in such ways is moral - it reflects
a certain accommodation to others and a
restraint on oneself - but it is not yet
ethical.
• Becoming ethical is a gradual process.
• It is not a smooth and even pattern of
growth from ignorance to enlightenment.
• Being ethical is taking moral behavior into
one's heart and mind - coming to understand
why it is right to behave in a certain way that
respects the rights and needs of others, and
developing a capacity to empathize or put
oneself imaginatively in another's place.
• The difference between ethics and morals is a
growth process.
• If we don’t grow - we may move from rule
to ideology.
• Ideology is when moral rules are accepted
uncritically and expanded into a rigid
worldview to be imposed on everyone else.
• This means the growth beyond the simple
to the complex, from the black-and-white
to the ambiguous, from the absolute to the
contingent hasn’t taken place.
• Ethics assume that moral problems are
complex, and that the common
experience of a conflict between good
things or a forced choice between bad
things requires judgment.
• Ethics require an assessment of situations
and alternatives, judgment of the
consequences of action or inaction,
weighing the claims and rights of others
along with one's own interests and desires.
• Morals are about following the rules.
• Ethics are about enlarging the circles of
empathy, and seeking common ground
among vastly different moral and belief
systems, to find the human qualities
that transcend these differences.
COMPUTER ETHICS
The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics
Written by the Computer Ethics Institute
• Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other
people.
• Thou shalt not interfere with other people's
computer work.
• Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's
computer files.
• Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
• Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
• Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software
for which you have not paid.
• Thou shalt not use other people's computer
resources without authorization or proper
compensation.
• Thou shalt not appropriate other people's
intellectual output.
• Thou shalt think about the social consequences
of the program you are writing or the system
you are designing.
• Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that
ensure consideration and respect for your fellow
humans.
What are Computer Ethics
• Computer Ethics is the branch of philosophy that
analyses the nature and social impact of computer
technology as well as the standards of conduct which
pertain to proper use computers.
• It involves social issues, such as access rights, working
place monitoring, censorship and junk mail; professional
issues such as professional responsibility and code of
conduct; legal issues such as legal obligations, data
protection, computer misuse and software piracy.
• Within a relative short period of time, computer
technology has created huge new possibilities but also
new ethical and social implications on both business’s
and individual’s life choices.
• However, ethical framework and laws lag behind all the
new innovations.
• Computer Ethics attempts to fill the vacuum, while
society catches up to make laws,
• This helps individuls, business’s and corporations with
company policy, personal policy and social
conventions.
• Computer ethics is at its relatively young stages.
The Brief History of Computer Ethics:
• In 1940s,
– Norbert Weiner, MIT professor and a pioneer of computing,
create “cybernetics”, an information feedback system and forecast
that computers would create unemployment worse than Great
Depression, but it was ignored for decades.
• 1950s-1960s The dawn of computer technology, which
features large mainframe computer, the main issues
are “can machines think?” personal privacy threats,
centralization of power and big government.
– 1950: Norbert Wiener published the book, “the Human Use of
Human Beings”, which established him as the founder of computer
ethics and laid out the foundation of computer ethics.
• 1960s:
– Donn Parker, an author on computer crimes, pointed by ACM, led
the creation of ethics code in computer technology fields.
• 1966:
– MIT’s Joseph Weizenbaum writes a program called ELIZA that
makes the computer act as a psychotherapist.
– First computer crime, a programmer used computer code to prevent
his banking account from being flagged as overdrawn. When late
discovered, there was no law to charge this crime.
– The adoption of Freedom of Information Act, which gave the
individual and organizations the right to access data held by the
federal government
• Famous quintessential author Issac Asimov, concern in his fiction
stories, “are there decisions that computers should never make?”
• 1970s-1980s The young and exponential growth of
computer technology, which features minicomputer,
microcomputer, personal computer and the beginning
of networking. The attention turned to software and
the issues are surrounding it, such as property rights,
software piracy, liability, privacy, computer crime,
hackers and more.
• 1970:
– Walter Maner, a medical teacher and researcher, noticed the need
for a separate branch of applied computer ethics, developed course,
workshops. The “computer ethics” coined ever since.
– The adoption of Fair Credit Reporting Act, which dealt with
handling of credit data.
• 1973:
– ACM adopted the professional codes of ethics, by the middle of 70s,
new privacy and computer crime laws had been enacted in American
and European,
• 1976:
– Joseph Weizenbaum published book, “Computer Power and
Human Reason” which considered the classic in computer ethics.
• 1976:
– Abbe Mowshowitz published article, titled: “On approaches to the
study of social issues in computing”
• It identifies and analyzes technical and non-technical biases in research on
social issues in computing. Five positions—technicism, progressive
individualism, elitism, pluralism, and radical criticism—which reflect major
streams of contemporary social thought are examined. ---- The ACM digital
library, volume 24, issues 3, March 1981
• 1978:
– The adoption of Right to Federal Privacy Act, which limited
government’s ability to search bank records.
• 1979:
– Terrell Ward Bynum, developed curriculum for university
course on computer ethics. He late launched an essay
competition to generate interest in computer ethics. In 1985, he
published the widest-selling issue in journal’s history -- “
Entitled Computers and Ethics”
• 1984:
– The adoption of Small Business Computer Security and
Education Act, which advises congress on matters relating to
computer crime against small businesses.
• 1985:
– James Moor classic essay, “What is Computer Ethics?” were
published, in his view, computer ethics includes:
• (1) identification of computer-generated policy vacuums,
• (2) clarification of conceptual muddles,
• (3) formulation of policies for the use of computer technology, and
• (4) ethical justification of such policies. ---Terrell Ward Bynum
• 1985:
– Deborah Johnson published the first major textbook in computer
Ethics, and became the standard-setting textbook in computer
ethics. It also set up the research agenda for almost a decade.
• 1986:
– The rewritten of Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which
covers the digital, data, and video communication.
• 1988:
– Robert Hauptman a librarian at St. Cloud University coined the
term “information ethics” it comprises all the ethical issues related
to the production, storage, access and dissemination of information.
– The adoption of Computer Matching and Privacy Act, which
restricts government’s right to programs or identifying debtors.
• Since the middle of 1980s, the computer ethics field has grown rapidly,
university courses, research centers, conferences, articles, and textbooks
have widely become the de facto of topics.
• 1990s - Present - The pinnacle of computer technology,
the coming together of computers, telecommunications
and media, which features the internet and World Wide
Web. It become such a phenomenon, which brought a
seemingly endless set of ethical issues such as legal
jurisdiction, free speech, virtual community and the
concerns of all the past.
• 1992:
– ACM adopted the “ACM code of Ethics and Professional Conduct”. It
consists of 24 imperatives formulated as statements of personal
responsibility.
• 1995:
– Gorniak Kocikowska, predicted computer ethics will eventually
evolve into a system of global ethics that applicable in virtually every
culture, then, it will be the ordinary ethics of information age.
• 1999:
– Deborah Johnson, opposite of Gorniak’s view, assumes
computer ethical theories will not lead to a revolution in ethics, but
only servers as the bedrock foundation of ethical thinking and
analysis. The computer ethics is only the same old ethics questions
with a new twist.
• From present to the near future.
– Computer technology features the convergence of
information and communication technologies.
– Issues will focus with decision-making capabilities, biochip
implants, genomic research and such.
• ACM – stands for Association for Computing
Machinery – http://www.acm.org/
Resources
• Wise Geek
• http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-
ethics-and-morals.htm
• Ethics and Morals
• http://www.paytonpapers.org/output/ESS0039_1.shtm
• Computer Professional for Social Responsibility
• http://cpsr.org/issues/ethics/cei/
• Learning Computing History
• http://www.comphist.org/computing_history/new_page_5.htm
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