Computing and Technology Ethics: Engaging through Science Fiction
- Length: 504 pages
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- Publisher: The MIT Press
- Publication Date: 2023-02-14
- ISBN-10: 026204806X
- ISBN-13: 9780262048064
- Sales Rank: #186225 (See Top 100 Books)
A new approach to teaching computing and technology ethics using science fiction stories.
Should autonomous weapons be legal? Will we be cared for by robots in our old age? Does the efficiency of online banking outweigh the risk of theft? From communication to travel to medical care, computing technologies have transformed our daily lives, for better and for worse. But how do we know when a new development comes at too high a cost? Using science fiction stories as case studies of ethical ambiguity, this engaging textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to ethical theory and its application to contemporary developments in technology and computer science.
Computing and Technology Ethics: Engaging through Science Fiction first introduces the major ethical frameworks: deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, communitarianism, and the modern responses of responsibility ethics, feminist ethics, and capability ethics. It then applies these frameworks to many of the modern issues arising in technology ethics including privacy, computing, and artificial intelligence. A corresponding anthology of science fiction brings these quandaries to life and challenges students to ask ethical questions of themselves and their work.
- Uses science fiction case studies to make ethics education engaging and fun
- Trains students to recognize, evaluate, and respond to ethical problems as they arise
- Features anthology of short stories from internationally acclaimed writers including Ken Liu, Elizabeth Bear, Paolo Bacigalupi, and T. C. Boyle to animate ethical challenges in computing technology
- Written by interdisciplinary author team of computer scientists and ethical theorists
- Includes a robust suite of instructor resources, such as pedagogy guides, story frames, and reflection questions
Title Page Copyright Table of Contents Acknowledgments Part One. Textbook Chapter 1. Why Ethics? Why Science Fiction? Learning Objectives 1.1. Introduction Sidebar: This Is a Sidebar! 1.2. What Does It Mean to Say, “Is It Ethical …”? 1.3. Why Study Ethics? 1.3.1. Basic/Perennial Problems in Ethics 1.3.2. Self-Interest and Ethical Living: Can You Do Both at Once? Sidebar: Ethics and Morality—What’s the Difference? 1.4. Why Think about Technology and Ethics Together? 1.4.1. How Have Recent Advances in Technology Changed the Conditions for Ethics? 1.4.2. Why Should Computing Professionals Study Ethics? 1.5. Why Use Science Fiction to Study Ethics? Story Point: “Apologia,” by Vajra Chandrasekera 1.6. Professional Ethics and Guidelines 1.7. Thinking with Ethical Frameworks 1.8. Life after Ethics Class 1.9. The Rest of This Book Reflection Questions References Cited in This Chapter Chapter 2. Ethical Frameworks Learning Objectives 2.1. Introduction 2.1.1. Multiple Frameworks 2.1.2. Limited Frames 2.1.3. How to Read This Chapter 2.2. Deontology 2.2.1. Overview of Deontology 2.2.2. Deontic Forms of Authority and Traditions Political Authority Divine Authority Sidebar: Obligations and Prohibitions The Authority of Human Reason 2.2.3. Kantian Deontology 2.2.4. Principles in Practice 2.2.5. Modalities for Judgment How Fundamental Is It? How Relevant Is It? Sidebar: Prioritizing the Right over the Good 2.2.6. Strengths and Weaknesses of Deontology: It’s Not All about Rules Sidebar: The Challenges of Deontology and Artificial Intelligence Story Point: “Dolly,” by Elizabeth Bear 2.3. Virtue Ethics 2.3.1. Overview of Virtue Ethics 2.3.2. What Are Virtues? 2.3.3. Confucian Virtue Ethics 2.3.4. Aristotelian Virtue Ethics 2.3.5. Appetites, Desires, and Virtuousness 2.3.6. Habituation: Developing Virtue 2.3.7. How the Virtues Work in Tandem 2.3.8. Modalities for Judgment Practical Wisdom Finding the Mean Sidebar: Aristotelian Virtues as a Mean between Vices 2.3.9. Strengths and Weaknesses of Virtue Ethics: Flourishing Is Easy (Once You’re There) Sidebar: Understanding Virtue Ethics through Role-Playing Games Story Point: “The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi 2.4. Communitarianism 2.4.1. Overview of Communitarianism 2.4.2. Sources of Communitarian Ethics 2.4.3. Person, Community, and World: Sub-Saharan Metaphysics Sidebar: The Role of Religion in Sub-Saharan Communitarian Thought 2.4.4. Self-Realization in Sub-Saharan Communitarianism Sidebar: Agent-Centered vs. Patient-Centered Personhood 2.4.5. Ubuntu 2.4.6. Yorùbá Communitarianism 2.4.7. Is the Community an Intrinsic Good or an Instrumental One? 2.4.8. Modalities for Judgment The Consensus Principle The Principle of Building Community The Principle of Peace/Rehabilitation 2.4.9. Strengths and Weaknesses of Communitarianism: Tensions with the Liberal Tradition Story Point: “The Regression Test,” by Wole Talabi 2.5. Utilitarianism 2.5.1. Overview of Utilitarianism 2.5.2. Classical Utilitarianism 2.5.3. Preference Utilitarianism 2.5.4. Voluntary Action 2.5.5. Modalities for Judgment The “Who” The “What” The “When” 2.5.6. Calculating Good Outcomes 2.5.7. Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism: Does Everyone Really Count as One? Sidebar: Utilitarianism and Machine Learning Story Point: “Message in a Bottle,” by Nalo Hopkinson 2.6. Contemporary Developments in Ethics 2.6.1. Responsibility Ethics Story Point: “Codename: Delphi,” by Linda Nagata 2.6.2. Feminist Ethics Story Point: “Today I Am Paul,” by Martin L. Shoemaker 2.6.3. The Capability Approach Story Point: “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse 2.7. Concluding Remarks: The Importance of Multiple Frameworks Reflection Questions Background References and Additional Reading References Cited in This Chapter Chapter 3. Managing Knowledge Learning Objectives 3.1. Introduction 3.1.1. Chapter Overview 3.2. The Things We Know Are Not Value Neutral 3.2.1. The DIKW Paradigm and Its Shortcomings 3.2.2. How the DIKW Paradigm Limits Our Ability to Understand the World 3.2.3. Cultures of Knowledge: Revising the DIKW Paradigm 3.2.4. How Does Wisdom Fit In? Sidebar: Skepticism Story Point: “Here-and-Now,” by Ken Liu 3.3. It Is Difficult to Marshal Large Bodies of Information Sidebar: Decision Fatigue Story Point: “Codename: Delphi,” by Linda Nagata 3.4. Automated Decision-Making Systems and Bias 3.5. Storing Knowledge Outside Ourselves: How Does It Affect Us as Individuals? 3.5.1. Storing Knowledge in Ancient Times 3.5.2. How Computers Change Things 3.5.3. The Vulnerability of Stored Ideas Story Point: “Lacuna Heights,” by Theodore McCombs 3.6. Storing Knowledge Outside Ourselves: How Does It Affect Our Communities? 3.6.1. Community Context and DIKW 3.6.2. Transmitting Knowledge across Cultures 3.6.3. Everyone’s an Expert: Information and Knowledge in the Age of Mass Platforming Story Point: “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse 3.7. Closing Thoughts: Knowledge and Selfhood Reflection Questions References Cited in This Chapter Chapter 4. Personhood and Privacy Learning Objectives 4.1. Introduction 4.1.1. Why Privacy? 4.2. What Is Personhood? Defining the Question 4.2.1. Personhood and Human Identity 4.2.2. Personhood and Personal Identity 4.2.3. Individuation and Continuity of Identity 4.2.4. The Self, Identity, and Narrativization Story Point: “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse 4.2.5. Moral and Legal Responsibility 4.3. Personhood and Technology 4.3.1. Technology and Human Identity Story Point: “Message in a Bottle,” by Nalo Hopkinson 4.3.2. Anthropomorphism: Personifying Technological Artifacts Story Point: “Dolly,” by Elizabeth Bear 4.3.3. AI and Responsibility Story Point: “Asleep at the Wheel,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle 4.3.4. Do We Need Bodies? 4.3.5. Technology and Responsibility 4.3.6. Technology and Memory 4.3.7. Technology and Narrative Identity Story Point: “Lacuna Heights,” by Theodore McCombs 4.3.8. Avatars and Self-Presentation Story Point: “Not Smart, Not Clever,” by E. Saxey 4.4. The Powers and Limits of Definitions 4.5. Privacy and Personhood 4.5.1. Tying Personhood and Privacy Together: Three Examples Example 1: Open Offices Example 2: Re-evaluating Gender Identity Sidebar: Sex and Gender Example 3: Prisons 4.5.2. What Is Privacy? 4.5.3. Privacy, Ownership, and Self-Possession 4.5.4. Privacy as a Legal Right 4.5.5. Privacy as a Value Social and Political Values Sidebar: The Privacy vs. Security Fallacy Character Development Interpersonal Relations 4.5.6. Is Privacy Always Good? Story Point: “Here-and-Now,” by Ken Liu 4.6. Bringing It All Together: Privacy, Information Technology, and Personhood 4.6.1. The Evolution of Data and Data Collection 4.6.2. Why Privacy Matters for Personhood Are You Your Data? Data Can Change Who We Are 4.7. Concluding Remarks Reflection Questions Background References and Additional Reading References Cited in This Chapter Chapter 5. Technology and Society Learning Objectives 5.1. Introduction 5.1.1. Chapter Objectives and Methodology Sidebar: What Is a Society? 5.2. Technology: Problematizing the Concept 5.2.1. Is Technology a Simple Matter of Means and Ends? 5.2.2. Technocracy and Unintended Consequences Sidebar: Overpromising in the History of AI 5.2.3. Reflecting on Unintended Consequences: Externalist vs. Internalist Approaches 5.2.4. Technological Mediation 5.3. Introducing Science and Technology Studies 5.4. Analyzing Sociotechnical Systems 5.4.1. Experimentation and Responsible Design 5.4.2. Constructing Abstractions and Framing Problems Sidebar: Performativity Sidebar: Photography: What You See Is Not Always What You Get 5.4.3. Strategies for Analysis Identifying Traps Asking Better Questions Who Has Access? Who or What Is Affected? What’s the Response, and Why? Sidebar: The Development of Scientific Management 5.5. Technology in Context: Social Spheres 5.5.1. Structures of Care Medical Care Economic Care Story Point: “Today I Am Paul,” by Martin L. Shoemaker 5.5.2. Public Discourse and Political Deliberation Public Discourse and Free Speech Access to Information Story Point: “Apologia,” by Vajra Chandrasekera 5.5.3. Companionship, Friendship, and Communities One-to-One Relationships One to Many: Communities and Group Friendships Story Point: “The Regression Test,” by Wole Talabi 5.5.4. Ecology and the Environment Sidebar: The Anthropocene: Naming Human Impact on the Environment Engaging with the Natural World Using Natural Resources Story Point: “The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi 5.5.5. State Power and Force Policing Surveillance War Story Point: “Asleep at the Wheel,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle 5.5.6. Work and Labor Automation Remote and Platform Work Story Point: “Lacuna Heights,” by Theodore McCombs 5.6. Closing Thoughts: Maintaining a Broad View Reflection Questions Background References and Additional Reading References Cited in This Chapter Chapter 6. Professional Ethics Learning Objectives 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Professions 6.2.1. What Is a Profession? 6.2.2. A Brief History of Professional Societies and Codes of Ethics in Technology Development 6.2.3. Professionalization in Computing Technology 6.2.4. Professions and the Law Sidebar: Metaphors, Personhood, Technology, and Autonomous Cars Story Point: “Not Smart, Not Clever,” by E. Saxey 6.3. Codes of Ethics 6.3.1. Deep Dive: The ACM and IEEE Codes of Ethics 6.3.2. Professional Guidelines for Algorithms: Bias, Transparency, and Accountability Story Point: “Asleep at the Wheel,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle 6.3.3. The Functions of and Using Codes of Ethics Story Point: “Codename: Delphi,” by Linda Nagata 6.4. Some Suggestions on Making Ethical Decisions in Practice 6.5. Codes of Ethics, Ethical Thinking, and Your Professional Life Story Point: “The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi Reflection Questions Background References and Additional Reading References Cited in This Chapter Part Two. Anthology Introduction to the Story Bank A Few Suggestions for Reading the Stories A Story Isn’t Reducible to the Ideas It Contains Stories Don’t Have Answers Some Important Questions Will Remain Unresolvable—and That’s a Feature! Suggested Story Points “Dolly,” by Elizabeth Bear “Message in a Bottle,” by Nalo Hopkinson “The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi “The Regression Test,” by Wole Talabi “Apologia,” by Vajra Chandrasekera “Asleep at the Wheel,” by T. Coraghessan Boyle “Codename: Delphi,” by Linda Nagata “Here-and-Now,” by Ken Liu “Lacuna Heights,” by Theodore McCombs “Not Smart, Not Clever,” by E. Saxey “Today I Am Paul,” by Martin L. Shoemaker “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse Index
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