polimd/Computer Ethics/lesson_04.md

Computer Ethics - lesson 4

Viola Schiaffonati

05 October 2017

Values

Intrinsic and instrumental

• Intristic value: vale in and of itself
• Instrumental: value because useful for other uses.

Is privacy and intrinsic or instrumental value. The state of the art is that privacy is an instrumental value to indipendence. The loss of privacy wound be a threat to our fundamental values.

If a person is being watched by constant surveillance, this determines how the person behaves and sees himself.

Suggested reading: the circle - Dave Eggers

Norms

Norms prescribe what actions are required, permitted or forbidden.

Norms can be seed as tools to realize values

Virtues

Virtues are needed to implement Values They can be categorized in:

• moral virtues: justice, honesty, courage
• intellectual virtues: focus on knowledge and skills

Moral virtues are indispensable in a responsible organization.

Theories in normative ethics

normative relativism: all moral point of view are equally valid. It's a contraddiction in terms:

There is no universal norm, but normative relativism is one of it.

Realism states that a reality exists, and is opposed to skepticism (G.Berkeley, I.Kant, Plato) that doubts the fact that we can experience a real world.

How can i be sure that other people are consciousness?

We have to put a stop to these kind of skepticism because otherwise we have to negate every form of knowledge.

• Universalism: there is a system of norms that is universally applicable
• Absolutism: Is a rigid form of universalism in which no exceptions are possible.

We also experiencea gap between universal values and conflicting norms

Utilitarism: consequences of actions are central to the moral judgement of actions (form of consequentialism).

Actions are judged by the amount of pleasure and pain they bring about (from a society, not an individual perspective)

Historical roots

• Jeremy Bentham: focurs on hedonism, pleasure is the only thing that is good in itself, and others are instrumental. moral balance sheet in which the costs and benefits are weighted against each others.

• John Stuart Mill: freedom principle (no harm principle): everyone is free to strive for his pleasure as long as you don't deny others pleasure.

Criticism to utilitarianism:

• How can you measure happiness objectively
• Utilitarianism can lead to exploitation
• Consequences may be unpredictable (in particular with technology)
• ignores the personal relationships

Duty ethics

Also known as deontological ethics: action is considered morally right if it is in agreement with a certain moral rule, which can be:

• given by God (bible,koran)
• Social contract
• Reasonable arguments