Reason, Relativity, and Responsibility in Computer Ethics

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Reason, Relativity, and Responsibility in
Computer Ethics

• James H. Moor

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Searching for Ethics in the Global Village

• We are entering a generation marked by
  globalization and ubiquitous computing. The
  second generation of computer ethics, therefore
  must be an era of global information ethics.
  Bynum and Rogerson
• The widespread desire to be wired should make us
  reflect on what awaits as the computer revolution
  explodes around the world. The digital genie is
  out of the bottle on a world-wide scale. Moor

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Global Village (2)

• There is disagreement about the nature of
  computer ethics
• He disagrees with two positions, both are popular
• A) Routine Ethics position ethical problems
  in computing are regarded as no different from
  ethical problems in any field, there is nothing
  special about them.
• Apply established customs, laws, and norms to
  access the situations straightforwardly
• B) Cultural Relativism local customs and laws
  determine what is right and wrong
• But computing crosses cultural boundaries as well
  as national and state boundaries

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Dilemma

• Routine ethics makes computer ethics trivial, and
• Cultural Relativism makes it impossible
• Discuss the above two statements
• The problems of computer ethics, in some cases,
  are special and exert pressure on our
  understanding

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Logical Malleability and Informational Enrichment

• Computers are logically malleable they are
  general purpose machines like no others
• Computers are informationally enriching
• They certainly automate, and
• They informate they are able to collect
  information while working, that information can
  be used in making decisions
• How does this contrast with industrial age
  machines?

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The Special Nature of Computer Ethics

• Moor believes that computer ethics is a special
  field of ethical research and application in that
• Computer ethics has two parts (I) the analysis
  of the nature and social impact of computer
  technology and (ii) the corresponding formulation
  and justification of policies for the ethical use
  of such technology.
• Should a supervisor be able to read a workers
  e-mail or should government be able to censor
  information on the Internet?
• Initially, there may be no clear policies on such
  matters
• They never arose before
• There are policy vacuums in these situations

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Special Nature (2)

• Sometimes may just need to establish policy
• Othertimes may need more analysis
• Is e-mail in the workplace more like
  correspondence on company stationary in company
  files or more like private and personal phone
  conversations
• There is often a conceptual muddle where the
  issues are not trivial matters of semantics
• Suppose a supervisor learns about a workers
  health issues by review of e-mail the
  consequences may be significant
• Eventually some clear understanding of the issues
  and justifiable policy should emerge
• Because computers are logically malleable, they
  will continue to be applied in unpredictable and
  novel ways generating numerous policy vacuums for
  the forseeable future.

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Reasons within Relative Frameworks

• Computer ethics is not rote
• But, rejecting Routine Ethics leaves many
  uncomfortable
• If ethics is not routine how can it be done at
  all?
• Cultural Relativism doesnt help solve the
  problem
• Cultural Relativism indicates that ethical issues
  must be decided situationally on the basis of
  local customs and laws
• Problem since computing activity is globally
  interactive, using local customs and laws will
  not in general help us with an answer when
  customs and laws conflict
• Do you pick the customs and laws of the
  originator or the receiver?
• Problem If we go the route of Cultural
  Relativism we can now run into policy vacuums for
  every culture
• A computing situation may prove to be so novel
  that there are no customs or laws established
  anywhere to cope with it

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What to Do?

• Shortcomings of routine ethics and cultural
  relativism may make one cautious about doing
  applied ethics at all
• Moor feels that this may be one reason why some
  are sometimes reluctant to teach computer ethics
• Ethical issues seem to be too elusive and vague
• Computer folks generally like facts, true, false,
  right, wrong
• Remember introduction to semester Ethics is not
  a science

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Reasons within Relative Frameworks Example

• Value frameworks provide us with the sorts of
  reasons we consider relevant when justifying
  particular value judgments
• In doing computing one must often make decisions
  using values of the discipline
• A computer programmer knows what makes a computer
  program a good program
• It works, has been thoroughly tested, doesnt
  have bugs, it well structured, is well documents,
  runs efficiently, is easy to maintain, has a
  friendly interface
• These are all properties of a good program
• These values are essentially standards that are
  agreed upon among professional computer
  programmers
• What are Ethical Principles? (Day 1)
• What is the connection to this discussion?

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Reasoning Frameworks (2)

• Computer programmers may disagree on facts
• Eg, Is object oriented programming better than
  structured programming?
• This may seem like a disagreement of standards
  but by testing which produces fewer bugs
• This may seem like a disagreement about values
  but the value is still to produce programs with
  fewer bugs
• The dispute is which technique (fact) produces
  the desired result
• No programmer regards ineffective, untested,
  buggy, unstructured, undocumented, inefficient,
  unmaintainable code with an unfriendly interface
  as a good program!

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Many/Any p. 50

• Discussion of the relativity of values sometimes
  engage in the Many/Any Fallacy
• This occurs when one reasons from the fact that
  many alternatives are acceptable to the claim
  that any alternative is acceptable
• Ex) There are many ways for a travel agent to
  route someone between Savannah and Kalamazoo
• It doesnt follow that any way of sending someone
  between these cities is acceptable
• Similarly, many different computer programs may
  be good but not just any computer program is good

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Core Values p 50?

• You read this section
• End coverage of this chapter