Research Thinking and Writing ToolboxResearch Thinking and Writing Toolbox

DVA403

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM

Gordana Dodig CrnkovicSchool of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Mälardalen University, Swedenhttp://www.idt.mdh.se/personal/gdc/

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Professional Ethics Course

I f ti b t thInformation about the course:

htt // idt dh /k / d5590http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/cd5590http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/ethics/

[Website provides even extensive ethics resources.]

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Where do we find Ethics?Where do we find Ethics?

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Ethical Questions 1Ethical Questions 1

–Environmental Ethics issues (global warming, pollution,

resources)resources)

– Medical Ethics (resource distribution, transplants)

– Genetic Ethics (gene manipulation)

– Global Justice (consequence of global communications)

– Open Source & Open Access

Fil h i4

– File sharing (Pirate Party in Sweden)

Ethical Questions 2

A bi I lli / Ubi i i /

Ethical Questions 2

–Ambient Intelligence/ Ubiquitous computing/

Networked things

– Nano-technology

Autonomous intelligent adaptive learning systems– Autonomous, intelligent, adaptive, learning systems

– Robotics, industrial/social

– Social networking via web (Second Life, Facebook)

Virtual worlds/ virtual economy5

– Virtual worlds/ virtual economy

Ethical Questions 3

P i / P l I t it / D t b / D t i i /

Ethical Questions 3

– Privacy/ Personal Integrity/ Databases/ Datamining/

Surveillannce

– Decoding mental states from brain activity(John-Dylan Haynes http://www.cbs.mpg.de/staff/haynes-10438(Jo y a ay es ttp // cbs pg de/sta / ay es 0 38

http://videolectures.net/john_dylan_haynes/

Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience)p )

– Medical Implants, Enhancements, Upgrades, Cloning

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Ethical Questions 4Ethical Questions 4

–Safety critical systems

–Research ethics (publication, living research objects informed consent)objects, informed consent)

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Computing CurriculaComputing Curricula

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G l K l d ithi C tiGeneral Knowledge within Computing

Swedish Computer Science and Engineering education follows in many respects an international model thefollows in many respects an international model, the American ACM/IEEE Computing Curricula

Typical general knowledge subjects that are widely represented are Theory of Science and Research MethodologyMethodology.

However the education in Professional Ethics that is aHowever, the education in Professional Ethics, that is a compulsory part of ACM/IEEE Computing Curriculum is often absent.

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Computing Curricula, ACM/IEEE

– Social context of computing– Methods and tools of analysis of ethical argument– Professional and ethical responsibilities

Ri k d li biliti f f t iti l t– Risks and liabilities of safety-critical systems– Intellectual property

Privacy and civil liberties– Privacy and civil liberties– Social implications of the Internet– Computer crime– Computer crime– Philosophical foundations of ethics

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Identifying Ethical IssuesIdentifying Ethical Issues

Based on: Lawrence M. Hinman, Ph.D.Director, The Values InstituteDirector, The Values Institute

University of San Diego

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WHAT IS ETHICS?WHAT IS ETHICS?

“There are few things wholly evil or wholly good AlmostThere are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost everything...is an inseparable compound of the two, so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.”

Abraham Lincoln

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Ethics and Morality Etymology

Morality and ethics have same roots, mores which d t f th L ti dmeans manner and customs from the Latin and

etos which means custom and habits from the Greek.

Robert Louden, Morality and Moral Theory

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Ethics and MoralityEthics and Morality

Strictly speaking, morality is used to refer to what we ld ll l t d d d l d t hilwould call moral standards and moral conduct while

ethics is used to refer to the formal study of those standards and conduct For this reason the study ofstandards and conduct. For this reason, the study of ethics is also often called "moral philosophy."

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Ethics and MoralityEthics and Morality

Morality: first-order set of beliefs and practices about how to live a good lifehow to live a good life.

Ethics: a second order conscious reflection on theEthics: a second-order, conscious reflection on the adequacy of our moral beliefs.

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ETHICSETHICS

Descriptive ethics is the factual study of the ethical standards or principles of a group or tradition;standards or principles of a group or tradition;

Normative ethics is the development of theories that systematically denominate right and wrong syste at ca y de o ate g t a d o gactions;

Applied ethics is the use of these theories to form ppjudgments regarding practical cases; and

Meta-ethics is the analysis of the meaning and justification of ethical claims

Source: www.ethicsquality.com/philosophy.html

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q y p p y

SOCIETY VALUES AND NORMSSOCIETY, VALUES AND NORMS

ETHICS

MORALMORAL

LAW

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Identifying Moral Issues

Moral concerns are unavoidable in life.

They are not always easy to identify and define.

Moral issues within profession must be addressed

specifically within professional university education and p y p y

professional organizations.

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Ethics as an Ongoing ConversationEthics as an Ongoing Conversation

Professional discussions of ethical issues in journals.

We come back to some fundamental ideas again and

again finding new meaning in themagain, finding new meaning in them.

See http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/ethics.htm

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Ethical Issues in E i iEngineering

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Engineering as Social ExperimentationEngineering as Social Experimentation

“All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky activity. In order to underscore this fact and help in exploring itsorder to underscore this fact and help in exploring its ethical implications, we suggest that engineering should be viewed as an experimental process. It is not, p p ,of course, an experiment conducted solely in a laboratory under controlled conditions. Rather, it is an

i i l l i l i hexperiment on a social scale involving human subjects.”

Ethics in Engineering Martin M W Schinzinger McGraw Hill 1996Ethics in Engineering, Martin, M.W., Schinzinger, McGraw-Hill, 1996

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Ethics ContextsEthics Contexts

Ethical problems arise most often when there are differences of judgment or expectations about what constitutes the true state of affairs or a appropriate course of actioncourse of action.

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Ethics Contexts

Industry

ClientsConsumers

Industry(Other firms)

Profession(Societies)Consumers ( )

Engineering firm

Family(Private Sphere)

Engineer Colleagues

Global environment

Society/Nature

Managers

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Society/Nature

A Framework for Ethical Decision Making

The ethical decision making includes the following steps:– recognize a moral issue– get the facts – evaluate the alternative actions from various moral

perspectives – make a decision– act – reflect on the results of the decision afterwards.

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A Pluralistic Approach to Moral TheoryA Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory

Th Vi t A hThe Virtue Approach

Focuses on attitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to act in ways that develop our human

t ti l E l h t f ithf lpotentials. Examples: honesty, courage, faithfulness, trustworthiness, integrity, etc.

The principle is: What is ethical is what develops moral virtues in ourselves and our communities.

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A Pluralistic Approach to Moral TheoryA Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory

The Utilitarian ApproachF th th t ti li iFocuses on the consequences that actions or policies have on the well-being (“utility”) of all persons directly or indirectly affected by the action or policyor indirectly affected by the action or policy.

The principle is: Of any two actions the most ethicalThe principle is: Of any two actions, the most ethical one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms.

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A Pluralistic Approach to Moral TheoryA Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory

The Rights Approach

Each person has a fundamental right to be respected and treated as a free and equal rational person capable of

ki hi h d i imaking his or her own decisions.

The principle is: An action or policy is morally right only if those persons affected by the decision are not used merely as instruments for advancing some goal, but are fully informed and treated only with their informedfully informed and treated only with their informed consent.

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Why Study Professional Ethics?Why Study Professional Ethics?

A professional ethics course is a means to increase the ability of future engineers, managers to first recognize and then responsibly confront moral issues raised byand then responsibly confront moral issues raised by technological activity.

The most important goal is to develop the ethical autonomy, i.e. the skill and the habit of thinking rationally au o o y, e e s a d e ab o g a o a yand critically about the ethical issues.

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Why is Professional Ethics important?Why is Professional Ethics important?

– Professional Ethics as a part of education for everyProfessional Ethics as a part of education for every socially important profession

– An important component of the professionalism!

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http://legacy.eos.ncsu.edu/eos/info/computer_ethics/ Ethics in Computing "site map"

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ReferencesReferences

• Basic material:http://www idt mdh se/kurser/cd5590– http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/cd5590

– http://www.idt.mdh.se/kurser/ethics/ – http://ethics.acusd.edu/presentations/Hinman/theory/relativismhttp://ethics.acusd.edu/presentations/Hinman/theory/relativism– http://ethics.acusd.edu/socialethics/– Moral Philosophy Through The Ages, James Fieser, Mayfield

C 2001Publishing Company, 2001

• Additional resources:http://www prs heacademy ac uk/projects/ethics/– http://www.prs.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/ethics/

– http://ethics.acusd.edu/relativism.html

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