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WK 5 Ethics

The document provides an overview of ethics, including its branches, key theories, and approaches such as virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism. It discusses the role of codes of ethics in professional conduct and highlights the importance of whistleblowing. Additionally, it addresses the specific area of computer ethics and the ethical responsibilities associated with computing.

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Mahmud Abbas
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31 views27 pages

WK 5 Ethics

The document provides an overview of ethics, including its branches, key theories, and approaches such as virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism. It discusses the role of codes of ethics in professional conduct and highlights the importance of whistleblowing. Additionally, it addresses the specific area of computer ethics and the ethical responsibilities associated with computing.

Uploaded by

Mahmud Abbas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Ethics, also known as

moral philosophy, is
a branch of philosophy
that involves
systematizing,
defending, and
recommending
concepts of right and
wrong behavior.
ANCIENT
ETHICS
• Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh
• Homer's Iliad
• The Icelandic Eddas
• The Sumerian Farmer's Almanac
• The Egyptian Instruction of
Amenemope
Ethical Theories
An introduction to three main branches of normative ethics
Normative vs.
descriptive Ethics
Descriptive Ethics: seeks to describe how people behave and/or what sorts
of moral standards they claim to follow. (Think Anthropology or sociology)
◦ non-evaluative
Normative ethics: seeks to create or evaluate moral standards. it is an
attempt to figure out what people should do or whether their current
moral behavior is reasonable.
Three types of
normative ethics
Teleological -- look at “ends” or consequences of what we do
Deontological – adheres to independent moral rules or
duties; motives behind certain actions are right or wrong
instead of focusing on the results
(Duty-based)
◦ The Golden rule
◦ Religion (ex. The ten commandments)
Virtue ethics- Character-based Theories that look
for the role one’s character plays in the decision
making and how that decision will affect the
character of others
Three Main Ethical
Approaches
Three main approaches to normative ethics that we will discu

— Virtue ethics (ethics of character)

— Utilitarianism (teleological)

— Deontology

The difference between these three approaches


to
morality tends to lie more in the way moral
dilemmas are approached, rather than in the
moral conclusions reached.
Virtue Theory (ethics of Character)
• Virtue ethics emphasizes the role of one's character and
the virtues that one’s character embodies for determining
or evaluating ethical behavior.

• The roots of this theory lie in the works of Plato and


Aristotle.

• Virtue ethics place emphasizes being rather than doing.


In virtue ethics, morality stems from the identity and/or
character of the individual, rather than being a reflection
of the actions (or consequences) of the individual.

• A virtue ethics philosopher will identify virtues, desirable


characteristics, that the moral or virtuous person
embodies. Possessing these virtue in virtues, ethics, is
what makes one moral, and one's actions are a mere
reflection of one's inner morality.
Deontological Ethics (Kantian Ethics
or Duty Ethics)
• places the emphasis on adhering to ethical principles or duties
and fulfilling obligations

• How these duties are defined, however, is often a point of


contention and debate in deontological ethics.

• Deontology also depends, at least partially, upon moral


absolutes that make an action moral regardless of
circumstances.

• There are multiple motivations for “duty”-


• Immanuel Kant--our actions should be motivated by reason,
rather than by emotions -you should not only do good things
when you feel like it
• Divine Command Theory– It has been decreed by God to be
“good.”
Consequentialism

— Consequentialism bases the morality of an action


upon the consequences of the outcome
— Instead of saying that one has a moral duty to
abstain from murder, a consequentialist would say
that we should abstain from murder because it
causes undesirable effects.
— The main contention here is what outcomes should/
can be identified as objectively desirable.
Utilitarianism
• Utilitarianism is one form of
consequentialism which has as its main
tenet that we should seek the greatest
happiness of the greatest number.

• Greatest Happiness Principle of John


Stuart Mill

• Seeks utility over morality

• Our determinant of the desirability of an


action is the net amount of happiness it
brings, the number of people it brings it to,
and the duration of the
UTILITARIANISM
Seeking utility can be problematic
Example: The Trolley problem
Comparing the Three Ethical
Approaches
1. A consequentialist may argue that lying is wrong
because of the negative consequences produced
by lying—though a consequentialist may allow that
certain foreseeable consequences might make
lying acceptable.
2. A deontologist might argue that lying is always
wrong, regardless of any potential "good" that
might come from lying.
3. A virtue ethicist would focus less on lying in any
particular instance and instead consider what a
decision to tell a lie or not tell a lie said about one's
character and moral behavior. Therefore, the
decision to lie would be made in a case-by-case
basis that weigh personal benefit, group benefit,
and intentions.
COMPONENTS/QUALITIES
 Honesty
 Integrity
 Transparency
 Accountability
 Confidentiality
 Objectivity
 Respectfulness
 Obedience to the Law
“Whistleblowing”
“Whistleblowing”
A whistleblower is a person who tells the
public or someone in authority about
alleged dishonest or illegal activities
occurring in a government department or
private company or organization.
A whistleblower is a person who raises
concern about frauds, corruptions,
wrongdoings and mismanagement.
DIMENSIONS OF ETHICS
( 3 “R’s” of Ethics)

◦ RULES

◦ RESPONSIBILITY

◦ RESPECT
CODES OF ETHICS
The primary aspect of
codes of ethics is to
provide the basic
framework for ethical
judgment for a
professional.
CODES OF ETHICS
The codes of ethics are guidelines for specific group
of professionals to help them perform their roles, to
know how to conduct themselves, and to know how
to resolve various ethical issues.
The codes of ethics help the professionals to apply
moral and ethical principles to the specific situations
encountered in professional practice.
These codes convey the rights, duties, and
obligations of the members of the profession.
POSITIVE ROLES OF
CODES OF ETHICS
Inspiration
Guidance
Support for responsible conduct
Deterring and disciplining unethical professional
conduct
Education and promoting of mutual understanding
Contributing to a positive public image of the
profession
Protecting the status quo and suppressing dissent
within the profession
Promoting business interests through restraint of trade
PROTECTING THE STATUS
QUO
The codes institute ethical
conventions. These
ethical conventions can
promote a minimum,
acceptable level of ethical
conduct.
The codes can also
suppress the dispute
within the profession.
LIMITATIONS OF CODES
OF ETHICS
Codes of ethics are broad guidelines, restricted
to general phrases. The codes cannot be
applied directly to all situations.
Engineering codes often have internal conflicts,
since several entries in codes overlap with
each other, which may result in moral
dilemmas.
The codes cannot serve as the final moral
authority for professional conduct.
COMPUTER ETHICS
Computer ethics is the study of ethical issues
that are associated primarily with computing
machines and computing profession.
COMPUTER ETHICS
Don’t use a computer to harm other people.
Don’t interfere with other people’s computer work.
Don’t snoop around in other people’s computer files.
Don’t use a computer to steel.
Don’t copy or use propriety software for which you
have not paid.
Don’t use other people’s computer resources
without authorization or proper compensation.
Don’t appropriate other people’s intellectual output.
COMPUTER ETHICS
Think about the social consequences of the
program you are waiting or the system you are
designing.
Use a computer in ways that insure
considerations and respect for your fellow
humans.

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