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Ethical Dilemmas Related to Technology
Anonymous Coward writes "I have a relative who will be teaching a college class on the topic of ethical dilemmas brought about by new technology. Unfortunately, he doesn't keep up with technology news, so he's not sure what the most relevant dilemmas are. For example, 'If robots came alive, would we be justified in killing them?' is one that might come up if nothing more relevant were suggested. (OK, it might not be that bad, but you get the idea. He was using Netscape 4.76 on system 9 until last week.)
So, what are the most relevant ethical dilemmas brought up by technology? Note that I am looking for ethical dilemmas, e.g. 'Is Activity X moral?' rather than legal dilemmas like 'Is the DMCA constitutional?' Now is your chance to guide the young minds of the future toward stuff that matters."
What if the artist encourages it?
What if the artist is pissed off by it?
Is violating the license less morally wrong if it's easy?
What about if the copy is of a lesser quality than the original?
What if it's a license that you like?
Carousel is a lie!
But are the inventors of these technologies to blame? Should they be held responsible for inventing Technology X?
By saying these scientists should be held responsible would akin to your atomic bomb argument. Is Einstein more responsible than Truman who ordered the massacre of hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese civilians?
I would hope that the answer would be no. Then we'd have civil proceedings where Victim Y would sue the inventor of Technology X because said technology brought bodily harm, even though Perpetrator Z is the actual cause of the incident.
Oh, but wait. We already have people seeking injunctions agains gun manufacturers because they produce a lethal weapon.
...but I have to agree, how can you teach something without an intimate knowledge of subject? If the teacher isnt passionate about the subject, how is he going to get the students to be. I hope theyre not paying for this crap! I wouldnt.
And i certainly wouldnt trust the /. crowd with any sort of moral question, but thats just me.
I want 2D games back.
I had this discussion over a large quantity of red wine with my Parents and a group of their friends. I have a degree in IT and work in the industry, and they see me as a guru because I know how to connect to the internet an fix their email and that kind of thing. The ethical issues they came up with were: 1. When the only way to access a service is via technology (eg internet), are we creating a class of people who are denied access to services because they don't have or understand the technology involved? Particularly of relevance to government services. Disclaimer: i don't want to buy into the pc's in libraries debate, this is about the ability to use the tecnology, not just have access to it. 2. Why do computers use so much electricity? In terms of pollution are computers to the 21st century what cars were to the 20th century, amazingly transforming society but at what cost? This is not just the electricity, but the lack of recycling, the use of polluting products in manufacture etc. 3. Will a child be denied equal access to education because they don't have a PC at home?
lounge around on the blue couch
Are you entirely sure you want to be taking this line, right now?
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility. - Ambrose Bierce
Technology doesn't have any unique attributes that give it more privlidge than any other subject matter.
.orgs (eff, aclu, etc) who w/o have done just as much as the big bad corperate wolf.
Congress, as a whole, doesn't know that much about farming or road work, or labor unions or pretty much anything.
Congress often *cant'* be the expert on subject matter X that any given group wants it to be. There are just too many laws and too many subjects.
So what congress does instead is listen to intrest groups and their constituants. Indivdual members/groups then write and sponser a Bill dealing with the concerns raised.
Each Bill is there for everyone in the nation to read and learn about (http://thomas.loc.gov) and if they do have a problem then it's their right to call up their congressman and say so. It's even their right to go to DC and address the subject matter. They can even start their own lobying group to try and changes things or pass laws addresing their own concerns.
It's just about who has money and who doesn't (though it would be naieve to think money doesn't help). Groups like the AARP have huge sway in congress. And there are thouslands of other such
And the real beauty of the system is that even if you say, "I don't like the system it's croupt and doesn't work as well as it should," you can go out and try to change it.
The only thing that never does any good is to complain about the state of things and not try to change it or even offer an alternative.
In short, it's our job to try to educate congress and others to the issues we feel strongly about.
The Japanese people were innocent victims?
Yes. These were cities full of civilians that got nuked, not military bases. Hospitals, schools, kids, grannies, you name it.
I actually understand the reasoning behind nuking them. A brutal demonstration of the Allies' strength quickly forced a rethink from their government.
There is a word used to describe the slaughter of civilians in order to shock the enemy into capitulating. That word is terrorism.
There is nothing innocent about anyone who went along with that regime and supported their cause.
Last time I checked, they were not a democracy. The USA, on the other hand, does not have that excuse to hide behind.
How about the responsibility of our educators to actually know their material? Surely nobody thinks it appropriate for a college lecturer to be teaching a subject about which he quite obviously knows nothing?
And yes, I realise that most college lecturers are borderline useless, but why encourage it?
My advice to your "friend" would be simple - bugger off and learn your material. When you know more than your students, THEN you can consider teaching.