CSC Intro. to Computing Lecture 19: Ethics & Computers

10 Commandments 1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. 2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. 3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files. 4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. 5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.

10 Commandments 6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid. 7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation. 8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output. 9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing. 10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.

Major Systems of Ethics Divine dicta - Divine states what is right  Which divine power and who interprets their words? Natural law - Human intuition and conscience guides us to do what is right  How do we mediate when two people disagree over the right thing to do?

Major Systems of Ethics Relativism – Local customs and standards decide what is right. All actions must be considered within the environment they are taken  Can relativistic system have single dicta?

Immanuel Kant Prussian living from Professor of logic and metaphysics at University of Königsburg Very religious man and devout Lutheran  Combined his piety with reason to argue in favor of dentology

Dentological Thought What is right is defined by law, religion, and society  Creator gives all humans knowledge of right and wrong  Institutions make rules reflecting this intuition Flows from Categorical Imperative  States it is impossible to disobey a rule, law, or standard on purely logical grounds

Dentological Thought Presumes everything is created for the good of the people  All people are deserving of respect and value Make decisions using principle of universality  Actions are moral or immoral regardless of the situation or environment they are in

Utilitarian System of Ethics Originally developed in 18 th c. England Also called “hedonic calculus”  Evaluate benefits that arise from an action and then subtract the costs of the action  If the net result is positive, an action is moral Summed up by Jeremy Bentham as “the greatest good for the greatest people”

Utilitarian Thought Important to consider all of the effects than an action will have Action that is moral at one time may be immortal in other instances Different people may value the positives and negatives differently

Modern Thought Few people consciously follow only a single system  Most people do not consciously follow any system  Usually follow own ideas of what is and is not acceptable In a public debate, good to have basis from which to argue your opinions