Non-Apologetic Computer Ethics Education:
A Strategy for Integrating Social Impact and Ethics into the Computer Science
Curriculum
C. Dianne Martin and Hilary J. Holz
1.2 Teaching the Ethics Component
A key consideration in integrating ethics and social impact into the curriculum is to come to grips with the issue of how best to teach and incorporate ethics topics. Basic ethical values are learned in the formative years of childhood in the home, church and school. The purpose of specific ethics education, such as computer ethics, should not be to indoctrinate the individual with new values, but to assist individuals “in clarifying and applying their ethical values as they encounter new, complex situations where it may not be obvious how ethical values may apply or where the appropriate application of one of these values may conflict with other ethical values (Parker, et al., 1988, p. 1).” Since ethical standards are by their very nature normative to a particular cultural setting, our precepts for computer ethics may change as new ethical challenges arise from new computer technology. The fact that we are discussing ethics in the context of human-human and human-machine interactions will require some innovative ways to apply ethical teachings.
To properly apply the notion of ethics to technology, we must first recognize that technology is not value-free, but value-laden. “Any technological decision ...is a value-based decision that not only reflects a particular vision of society but also gives concrete form to it.” (Christenson, 1986)
Computers often alter relationships among people. Data communications can take place without any personal contact and at such high speed that the individual may not have time to consider the ramifications of a particular transmission. In addition, electronic information is far more fragile than hard-copy paper information. New ethical dilemmas with competing rights and values have arisen due to the advent of high-speed, worldwide transmission; low-cost, mass storage; and multiple-copy dissemination capabilities. Precepts regarding proprietary rights, residual rights, plagiarism, piracy, eavesdropping, privacy, and freedom of expression should be examined and perhaps redefined. Advancements in computer technology were made under the naive assumption that efficiency was the main purpose or thrust, not moral values. The application of ethical principles to computer technology must take its proper place so that the ethical dimension is integrated into the concept of managing technology and the human relationships that accompany technological advancements.
Computer scientists and ethicists have raised serious concerns about how to teach ethics in the computer science curriculum (Bynum, 1991; Gotterbarn, 1991; Miller, 1988; Mahowald & Mahowald, 1982). For example, to what extent do computer science students need to be grounded in “theoretical” as opposed to “practical” ethics? One view is that spending too much time on various ethical frameworks will only confuse students and lead them to believe that there is no right answer. “Not stressing philosophical theory has the advantage of not stressing the apparent lack of agreement among philosophers (Gotterbarn, 1991).” Two disturbing assumptions underlie this premise. The first is that due to the technical orientation of computer science students, they are incapable or unsuited for grappling with complex philosophical thinking. The second assumption is that there a re “right” and “wrong” answers to these issues. In that case, the role of ethics in computer science education is to instill these answers into students. This falls under the rubric of “politically correct” thinking that is now drawing intense criticism both inside and outside of academic circles. A related concern is that computer science faculty have little experience in teaching ethics. They “may fall into the trap of preaching a moral code of their own instead of raising questions, elaborating possible answers, and exploring justifications.” (Miller, p. 38)
Our belief is that ethics cannot be taught; rather what can be taught is a framework for evaluating ethical dilemmas and making decisions. In accepting the premise that technology is value-laden, we stress the need to teach a methodology of explicit ethical analysis in all decision-making related to technology. A preliminary core of ethical precepts has been developed by the professional computer societies in the form of ethics codes. In this paper we present a model for encouraging the student to compare and combine personal, societal, and professional ethical models into a decision-making framework. We borrow the strategy of traditional university ethics courses to use this framework to analyze case studies (Parker, 1988; Weiss, 1982; Veatch, 1977) and readings and to come to a deeper understanding of the complexity of the issues through small group discussions. The role of ethics education should be to provide students with at least a minimal theoretical background essential for their understanding of the role that values and ethics play in all decision-making, whether it be technical, economic, political, social, or personal.
Go to: 2. Creating a Social and Ethical Context
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