Critical Thinking CSCI 327 Many examples stolen from "Ethics and Computing" by Kevin Bowyer

Q: What does critical thinking have to do with ethics or the social implications of computing? A: Morally difficult situations are difficult precisely because it is difficult to reason clearly about them.

Structuring an Argument Sincepremise 1, and premise 2, … Thereforeconclusion A valid argument: 1. each premise is true, 2. each premise is relevant to the issue at hand, 3. the collection of premises establishes that the conclusion is true.

Common Critical Thinking Errors 1. Errors arising from ambiguity 2. Circular Arguments 3. Use of Unwarranted Assumptions 4. Fallacies involving missing evidence 5. Incorrectly identified causation 6. Premises irrelevant to stated conclusion 7. Appeals to emotion / authority 8. Diversion from the Main Point 9. Incorrect Inference

Errors Arising from Ambiguity Three computers are on a table. Someone points to one and says "I seen that one fail frequently." We assume the other two do not fail frequently. It is ambiguous as to whether the other two have been seen to fail frequently.

Circular Arguments SinceThe criteria for patentability are originality, novelty, utility, and nonobviousness, and My invention is original, novel, useful, and non-obvious ThereforeMy invention deserves to be patented. The second premise is just a restatement of the conclusion.

Unwarranted Assumptions SinceBob is a good programmer Joe is a good programmer Sue is a good programmer ThereforeBob, Joe, and Sue will make a good development team. We are assuming 1. they will work well together 2. they have all the other non-programming skills necessary

Unwarranted Assumptions SinceBob thinks the code is fine. Sue thinks debugging needs another 2 weeks. ThereforeWe should test for 1 more week. We are assuming 1. Bob and Sue are at each end of the possibilities 2. averaging estimates is a good idea

Fallacies Involving Missing Evidence SinceTesting revealed no bugs. ThereforeThe code is bug free. What evidence is missing?

Fallacies Involving Missing Evidence SinceThe Software Industry has never had look-and-feel copyrights The software industry has done fine. ThereforeThe software industry doesn't need these copyrights.  Where is the evidence that the two premises are related?  From the parallel universe where the software industry did have such copyrights?

Premises Irrelevant to Conclusion SinceBob thinks the group should be re-organized. Bob is frequently late to work. ThereforeWe should not consider Bob's reorganization proposal.

Irrelevant Appeal to Authority SinceA survey was taken at a conference of interface designers Interface designers don't want look- and-feel to be copyrightable. ThereforeLook-and-feel should not be copyrighted. - Why are designers legal experts? - Tell me more about the survey.

Incorrect Deductive Inference Sinceemployees using bad passwords is a security problem our employees use good passwords ThereforeWe have no security problems.

Are You Aware of the Dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide? Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils include: - Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage - Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions - DHMO is a major component of acid rain - Contributes to soil erosion - many, many more...

True Story In 1999, a Harvard technician discovered pornography on a PC used by the Dean of the Harvard School of Divinity. The porn was explicit, but not illegal. The dean resigned. Should the tech have reported the incident?

more info… The work was done on a PC in the Dean's home. The home is owned by Harvard. The PC was owned by Harvard. The faculty handbook prohibits inappropriate material on university machines. The work was to install a larger hard drive.

Quote from Alan Dershowitz What the dean chooses to do privately is his own business and only becomes the university's concern if it is illegal. As long as it is done in private and doesn't hurt anyone, it is not the school's business.

In-Class Writing Assignment #1 Write at least one page (≈ 250 words) on either question 1 or 2. Write clearly! Grade based on  clarity of your argument,  correct use of moral theories or critical thinking,  readability, grammar, etc. (minor for this assignment) Question 1: Show why Dershowitz's argument is invalid. Question 2: Do techs have a moral obligation to report such incidents? Using one or more theories discussed on Tuesday, explain why or why not?