AIT, Comp. Sci. & Info. Mgmt AT02.98 Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Computing September Term, Objectives of these slides: l What ethics is, what it isn’t, and ethical relativism 2. Introduction to Ethics

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 2 Overview 1. What is Ethics? 2. The Ethical Method 3. What Ethics Isn’t 4. Ethical Relativism 5. More Details

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ What is Ethics? §“I lied about the exam being next week – it’s now. Close your books.” l what’s your reaction? §Ethics is about investigating and evaluating actions. Which actions are right, which wrong? §Ethics == morality

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 4 Ten Hard Ethical Questions §1. Are there any differences between moral laws and society’s laws. If there are, why is this? §2. What are human beings really like: selfish and greedy or generous and kind? §3. Are there good ways of teaching children to behave morally? continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 5 §4. Does anyone have the right to tell anyone else what good and evil are? §5. Are there certain kinds of acts (e.g. torturing children) that are always wrong? If so, what are they? §6. What do you think is the best answer to the question, “Why should I be a good person?” continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 6 §7. Is ethics a special kind of knowledge? If so, what sort of knowledge is it and how do we get hold of it? §8. Is morality about obeying a set of rules or is it about thinking about consequences? §9. When people say “I know that murder is wrong”, do they know it is wrong or just believe it very strongly? continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 7 §10. Are some people “better” at morality than others, or is everyone equally capable of being good?

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ The Ethical Method §Ethics uses reason, logic, concepts, rational explanation and public discussion to analyse problems and (try to) find answers. §The aim of an ethical argument is to get someone else to freely agree with you for good reasons continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 9 §Ethics demands that you present an argument that shows your analysis and explains your points of view: l what counts most is what you think §Explanations must be public so that they can be debated and understood by others.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 10 Ethics as a Process §An ethical investigation is an ongoing process: l formulate an argument (with attached reasons) l critically examine the argument and any counter-arguments l reformulate the argument §This process is sometimes called a “dialectic”. continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 11 §The examination moves back and forth between cases (examples) and principles/theories. §No conclusion may be reached but negative and positive knowledge is discovered: l what arguments are inadequate l development of common frameworks for discussion

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 12 Descriptive and Normative §Descriptive statements are factual l e.g. 90% of Americans like baseball l they can be checked by observation l sometimes called empirical statements §Ethics is a normative science l it is concerned with the norms (standards) of human conduct (behaviour) continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 13 §Ethics is sometimes called prescriptive since it talks about what people ought to do. §It is not possible to answer prescriptive questions by using facts (descriptive statements) alone l e.g. what facts “prove” the truth of “people ought not to murder”?

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ What Ethics Isn’t 3.1. Ethics and Emotions 3.2. Ethics and Authority 3.3. Ethics and the Individual 3.4. Ethics and the Law 3.5. Ethics and Religion

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethics and Emotions §Ethics is about what you think, not feel. §Thinking statements are very different from feeling statements l they give reasons for an opinion l they answer why §Feelings can change suddenly for no reason l not suitable as the foundation of an argument continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 16 §Sincerity (or any strong emotion) has nothing to do with the correctness of an argument. §Emotions have a small role as a guide when searching for reasons.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethics and Authority §Ethics is only concerned with rational argument. §Ethics ignores: l the authority of tradition l the personal authority of the speaker §Authoritarian arguments are often really just threats or bribery.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethics and the Individual §“What counts most is what you think” l but only if you are rational §A speaker’s use of personal superiority and/or authority invalidates their argument.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethics and the Law §Ethics and the law (legal rules) are different. §Laws change over time, and can be contradictory l e.g. apartheid l e.g. censorship and freedom of speech

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethics and Religion §Religion is useful as a context for moral statements. §But religion must be excluded from ethical arguments because: l religion is spiritual; ethics is intellectual l religion often relies on authority or faith l what religion is accepted by everyone so it can be used as part of an argument?

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ Ethical Relativism §Examples: l “What is right for you may not be right for me.” l “I can decide what is right for me, but you have to decide for yourself.” §Ethical relativism has two components: l the negative: “there are no universal moral rules” l the positive: “right and wrong is relative to the society in which the person lives”

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 22 Supporting Evidence §1. Cultures vary over what they consider is right and wrong. §2. Moral rules change over time. §3. Moral ideas develop in people as they grow and learn.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 23 Response §The diversity of moral rules does not prove there are no universal moral rules. §The diversity may be superficial. §Some people’s moral rules may simply be incorrect. continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 24 §There do seem to be some universals: l never intentionally harm another person l respect peoples’ rights (e.g to freedom, privacy) §Ethical relativists contradict themselves since their ideas imply that everyone follows the moral rules of their society l a universal rule! continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 25 §Ethical relativists usual intention is that we should not judge others by our standards. We should respect other people’s right to choose their own rules l another universal! §Ethical relativism is a very poor ethical theory since it cannot be used to justify any moral beliefs except by reference to society.

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 26 §Absolutists argue that there are basic universal rules l e.g. “murder is wrong” §Sometimes called universalists or realists. Absolutists

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/ More Details §Books on ethics: l Right and Wrong: A Brief Guide to Understanding Ethics Thomas I. White Prentice Hall, 1992 l Ethics for Beginners Dave Robinson and Chris Garratt Icon Books, 1996 continued

Comp. Ethics: Intro to Ethics/2 28 §Chapter 2 of: Computer Ethics Deborah G. Johnson Prentice Hall, 2nd ed., 1994