Ethics CS4310 Fall 2012 Updated 2/09. What is a Profession?

Ethics

CS4310

Fall 2012

Updated 2/09

What is a Profession?

What is a Profession?

• Calling in which special knowledge and skills are used in the service of mankind

• Elements (Greenwood 91)– systematic theory– authority– community sanction– ethical codes– culture

Who is a professional?

Who is a professional?

• One who recognizes his/her obligations to society by living up to accepted codes of conduct

What is the purpose of professional codes?

What is the purpose of professional codes?

• Inspire, educate, guide, and discipline members

• must be broad enough to cover ethical conflicts, and specific enough to guide professionals

Ethical Perspectives

• Professional Ethics

• Philosophical Ethics

• Descriptive Ethics

Professional Ethics

• The responsibility and obligation that affect individuals as members of a profession

• Examples: medical ethics, legal ethics

Professional Ethics



• Issues: professional responsibility, codes of conduct, systems reliability/safety (e.g., for engineers)

Professional Ethics



• Issues: professional responsibility, codes of conduct, systems reliability/safety (e.g., for engineers)

• In this view, we want to restrict the discussion to issues that are unique to the profession of computing and technology

Philosophical Ethics

• The responsibility and obligation that affect individuals as members of a society

• Issues: Intellectual property, privacy, free speech, fairness

Philosophical Ethics

• The responsibility and obligation that affect individuals as members of a society

• Issues: Intellectual property, privacy, free speech, fairness

• Method:– Identify moral problem or controversial practice– Analyze the problem, clarify concepts, examine facts– Apply moral theories and principles to reach a

position about the issue

Descriptive Ethics• Describe what is the case now

– Different from Normative: What ought to be

• How do members of a given group or culture view a particular issue– For example, copyrights.

• US and Chinese cultures view this differently

What is ethics?

• The science of conduct:– science: rational inquiry to gain knowledge– conduct: behavior when voluntary choice is

made because of belief that it right.

• Ethicists study how people ought to behave• Moralists try to make people behave better

• (Many other definitions exist …)

Ethics vs Morals

• Moralist (Webster)– one who leads a moral life

– one concerned with regulating the morals of others

• Ethicists– One who studies morality using philosophical

perspectives

– Approaches are rational and open to others for verification

Discussion Stoppers

• (a.k.a., “reasons” for not discussing ethics or morals)

Problem: People disagree on solutions to moral issues

Problem: People disagree on solutions to moral issues

• But many experts disagree on key issues in their fields. No need to stop the discussion.

• People do agree on many moral issues.• Need to recognize that disagreements could

be about– principles– facts– eg: stealing is wrong. Is copying over the

internet stealing?

Problem: Who am I to judge others?

Problem: Who am I to judge others?

• Need to distinguish between judging to evaluate and judging to condemn

• We routinely evaluate people: who fixes your car? who do you buy groceries from?

• Sometimes, we are morally obligated to make judgments– child abuse– human rights abuse

Problem: Morality is a private matter

Problem: Morality is a private matter

• Morality is a public system– if not, then it must be OK for me to steal from

you if I think it is OK for me to steal from you

• Don’t confuse moral choice with personal preference

Problem: Morality is a matter for individual cultures to decide

Problem: Morality is a matter for individual cultures to decide

• Does it follow that a culture can devise any moral scheme so long as the majority of people in that culture approve? – What if the majority says it’s OK to use

chemical weapons (or airplanes) to attack us?

Logical Arguments

Logical Arguments

• As ethicists, we must discuss unresolved issues

• These discussions may be termed as “arguments”

Logical Arguments

• Arguing is reason giving

• Reasons are justifications that support a claim

• Rationality is the ability to engage in reason giving (Zarefsky)

Effective Reasoning

• Concern is with audience:– We are trying to engage the audience – We are trying to reach the best decision– Argumentation is a cooperative exercise– We have the shared goal of reaching best

decision– Reasoning depends on the free assent of the

audience

Effective Reasoning

• Concern is with audience

• Success depends on the assent of a particular audience

Effective Reasoning



• Argumentation takes place under uncertainty– We don’t argue about things that are certain

Effective Reasoning



• Argumentation takes place under uncertainty

• Argumentation involves rational justification for claims

Ethical Theories

Utilitarian Theory

• Utilitarian: the goodness of the consequence determines the rightness of the action

• The greatest good for the greatest number• Bentham, John Mills

Deontological Ethics

• Duty: (Kant) the goodness of the motives determine the rightness of the action– Each individual has the same moral worth, regardless

of wealth, intelligence, or circumstance

– Each principle is universally binding, without exception, for all human beings

– Categorical Imperative: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.

Hedonism

• Hedonism: the sole good in life is pleasure

Social Contract Theory (Hobbs)

• Legitimate authority must be derived from the consent of the governed

• All members of a society are bound to respect a sovereign will by the social contract

• We surrender some freedoms to a sovereign in return for the benefits of the rule of law that protect individuals from being harmed by others

Code of Ethics

Software Engineers

• Ought to uphold normal standards of honesty and integrity

• Ought to uphold the law

• Ought to uphold the reputation of the profession

• Not all standards of behavior are bounded by law

Professional responsibility

• Confidentiality

• Competence

• Intellectual property rights

• Computer misuse

• Fairness


• Confidentiality

– Respect the confidentiality of employers and clients with or without signed agreement

• Competence


• Computer misuse

• Fairness


• Confidentiality

• Competence

– Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence


• Computer misuse

• Fairness


• Confidentiality• Competence• Intellectual property rights

– Engineers should be aware of laws governing use of intellectual property and protect the rights of employers, clients, and other engineers

• Computer misuse• Fairness


• Confidentiality• Competence• Intellectual property rights• Computer misuse

– Engineers should not use technical skills to misuse computers belonging to others (e.g. game playing at work or dissemination of viruses)

• Fairness


• Confidentiality• Competence• Intellectual property rights• Computer misuse

• Fairness– Engineers should strive to be fair towards each

other and towards the public. For example, proper attribution in papers and code

Three levels of obligations

• Level 1: Humanity

• Level 2: Professionalism

• Level 3: Each Profession


• Level 1: Humanity– Integrity– Justice





• Level 2: Professionalism– Fairness, giving credit





• Level 3: Each Profession– Understand specifications– Ensure adequate testing

Software Engineering Code of Ethics

• Purpose: – A standard for practicing engineering– Documents ethical and professional

responsibilities of software engineers

• Adopted by IEEE and ACM• Developed by international task force

including industry, academics, military, and government

Standard

• Describes ethical and professional obligations against which peers, the public, and legal bodies can measure a software developer’s behavior.

Why our own code?

• Most professionals have profession-specific codes of ethics.

• Professionals have great impact on the well-being of others.

• They have a higher standard of conduct than non-professionals.

Eight Principles of Responsibility

1. Public

2. Client and employer

3. Product

4. Judgment

5. Management

6. Profession

7. Colleagues

8. Self

Public

• Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.

Public

• What is the public interest?

• How do we know the public interest?

Client and employer

• Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interest of their clients and employer, consistent with the public interest.

Client and employer

• Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interest of their clients and employer, consistent with the public interest.

• What does that mean? • What about making bombs?

– Ethical? Public interest?

Product

• Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

Product

• Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest professional standards possible.

• What are the professional standards? Does that mean “zero defects”?

Judgment

• Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

Judgment

• Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

• If your boss comes in and says “we have to ship the pacemakers next week, cut the testing cycle.” what do you do?

Management

• Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

Management

• Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

• What implications does this have wrt programmers working for you?

Profession

• Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.

Profession

• Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with the public interest.

• What does integrity mean?

• What does reputation mean?

• Why do they matter?

Colleagues

• Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

Colleagues

• Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

• Give examples.

• Give counter examples.

Self

• Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

Self

• Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

• Give examples.

• Give counter examples.

Group Exercise

• Get into groups of 4. Each team member takes two sections of the code.– 1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8

• Each team member will teach the rest of the team about the sections they have.

• Teachers: get with other people teaching the same section. – You have 15 minutes to prepare– You will have 5 minutes to teach