Computers, Ethics, and Society / Edition 3

by M. David Ermann, Michele S. Shauf

Overview

In today's world, computers can have complex and contradictory effects on human life. They can enhance our quality of life by creating access to previously unimagined worlds. On the other hand, as computers become increasingly important in our everyday lives, their potential to strip away our privacy and autonomy increases exponentially. Computers, Ethics, and Society, now in its third edition, offers a comprehensive, interdisciplinary set of readings on the ethical and social implications of computer technology. Taking into account technological, social, and philosophical issues, the contributors consider topics such as the work-related ramifications of automation, the ethical obligations of computer specialists, and the threats to privacy that come with increased computerization.
Thoroughly up-to-date in its coverage, this collection includes articles on specific ethical dilemmas related to contemporary issues and events. Essays new to the third edition cover such topics as cyber-terrorism, the ethics of downloading music from Internet sites, and the question of whether human beings may someday be "replaced" by artificial intelligence and computer technology. An ideal text for sociology, philosophy, and computer science courses, Computers, Ethics, and Society, 3/e, reminds students that although technology has the potential to improve or undermine our quality of life, societal forces ultimately have the power to decide how computers will affect our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195143027
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/14/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

University of Delaware

Table of Contents

Ethical ContextsPhilosophical Ethics1. The Best Action Is the One with the Best Consequences, John Hospers2. The Best Action Is the One in Accord with Universal Rules, James Rachels3. The Best Action Is the One that Exercises the Mind's Faculties, AristotleProfessional Ethics4. ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, Association for Computing Machinery5. Using the ACM Code, Ronald E. Anderson, Deborah G. Johnson, Donald Gotterbaum, Judith Perrolle6. Can We Find a Single Ethical Code?, Robert N. Barger7. The Morality of Whistle-Blowing, Sissela Bok8 The Ethics of Systems Design, Batya Friedman and Peter H. Kahn, Jr.9. Are Hacker Break-ins Ethical?, Eugene H. Spafford10. Using Computers As Means, Not Ends, Herbert L. Dreyfus and Stuart E. Dreyfus with Tom AthanasionHistorical and Cultural Contexts11. Technology Is a Tool of the Powerful, Philip Bereano12. A History of the Personal Computer, Robert Pool13. Informing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman14. Why the Future Doesn't Need Us, Bill Joy15. Boolean Logic, Michael HeimSocial Contexts16. Privacy in a Database Nation, Simson Garfinkel17. The GNU Manifesto, Richard M. Stallman18. Crossing the Digital Divide, Jessica Brown19. Gender Bias in Instructional Technology, Katy Campbell20. Computers and the Work Experience, Anthony M. Townsend21. Information Technologies and Our Changing Economy, Martin Camoy22. Music: Intellectual Property's Canary in the Digital Coal Mine, National Research Council23. The Case for Collective Violence, Craig Summers and Eric Markusen24. Activism, Hacktivism, and Cyberterrorism, Dorothy E. Denning