Computer Ethics as a Field of Applied Ethics: Core Questions and Future Directions

Abstract

We are discussing no small matter, but how we ought to live.-Socrates (in Plato's Republic, Book 1:352d)Ethics is serious, and very difficult.... [It] is about human beings ... in the human pursuit of ... a standard of right conduct or virtue.-Lisa H. Newton (1989, pp. 254-55)When Dean Evangelos Hadjimichael and Professor David Schmidt invited me to speak at a national conference at Fairfield University celebrating the distinguished career of Lisa Newton, I felt both honored and intimidated. I was honored to be included among the presenters at a conference devoted to Professor Newton-an esteemed scholar whose groundbreaking work in applied ethics, which is widely recognized and respected both within and outside of the academic community, has inspired and informed my research in two areas: computer ethics and public health ethics. However, I must admit that I also felt intimidated when I learned that the list of invited conference speakers included some legendary figures in the field of applied ethics. I also worried that because my talk would focus on a topic in computer ethics-a field that is less mature, less established, and thus possibly less understood than other fields in applied ethics-it was quite possible that key elements in my presentation might be unfamiliar to many in an audience whose interests in applied ethics spanned a wide range of academic disciplines. Despite my concerns, however, I humbly accepted the invitation to speak; the present essay is a revised version of my conference presentation.1. Introduction and OverviewBecause the theme of the conference honoring Professor Newton was on "directions in the disciplines (of applied ethics) today," I tried to tailor my presentation accordingly-by describing the current state of the field of computer ethics (CE) and also hinting at some likely directions for its future. However, if Shakespeare's point that the "past is prologue" to the future (Tempest, Act II, Scene 1) is accurate, I thought that at least some mention of important developments in the history of CE would seem warranted. So, I begin my essay (as I did my presentation) with a brief overview of some milestones in the development of CE as a field of applied ethics. This discussion is followed by a brief description of the ongoing debate about the proper scope of CE, as a subfield both in applied ethics and computer science. Next, I describe, in fairly broadbrush strokes, the debate about whether CE qualifies as a legitimate field in applied ethics, as well as the corollary question of whether any CE issues are unique ethical issues.Before briefly considering some specific examples of recent CE and CErelated controversies, I identify a cluster of issues that CE scholars and practitioners have generally considered to be the standard or "mainstream" issues comprising the field. I then examine and reject the claim that CE will eventually "disappear" as a separate field of applied ethics. Finally, I project some likely directions for CE in the near future, and I conclude with a list of theoretical and practical questions that I believe will need to be addressed by CE researchers and practitioners.12. The Development of CE as a Field of Applied EthicsA reasonable case can be made for the claim that CE, as a distinct field in applied ethics, emerged gradually during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Some, however, trace the origin of the field to the work of Norbert Wiener, whose insights in his writings in the late 1940s and early 1950s anticipated some contemporary concerns regarding the social and ethical implications of "cybernetic" related technologies.2 Others, who suggest that Joseph Weizenbaum may have been the first author to be instrumental in shaping the field, point to questions Weizenbaum raised about the potential misuses of computer technology in his influential book, Computer Power and Human Reason (1976).3 Bynum (2008) notes that Walter Maner claims to have coined the phrase "computer ethics" in 1978. …