ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY Controversies, Questions, and Strategies

for Ethical Computing

HERMAN T. TAVANI Rivier University

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tavani, Herman T. Ethics and technology : controversies, questions, and strategies for ethical(a) Do we, as a society, have a special obligation to disabled persons to ensure that they have full Internet access? (b) Is the argument that by providing improved access and services for disabled persons, non-disabled users will benefit as well, a reasonable argument? Consider that it can be dangerous to reason along this line; for example, suppose that non-disabled persons did not benefit from software applications designed for the disabled. (c) Would that be a reason for not investing in software for disabled people? Defend your answer. Please elaborate (beyond a yes or no answer) and provide yourtheoretical rationale in support of your responses. (comprehension)
Theismeyer described racist/hate Web sites in this chapter. (a) Should Web sites that promote racist speech be allowed to thrive on the Internet? (b) Has the proliferation of these sites increased the incidence of racism on a global scale? Or is the Internet, as some have suggested, a force that can help to reduce racism? Please elaborate (beyond a yes or no answer) and provide yourtheoretical rationale in support of your responses. (comprehension)
The increased use of expert systems (ES) technology in many professional fields has generated some ethical and social concerns. Some ethical controversies surrounding ESs have to do with critical decisions, including life and death decisions; for example, (a) shouldexpert doctors be allowed to make decisions that could directly result in the death of, or cause serious harm to a patient? If so, (b) who is ultimately responsible for the ESs decision? (c) Is the hospital that owns the particular ES responsible? (d) Should the knowledge engineer who designed the ES be held responsible? Or is the ES itself responsible? In answering these questions, you may want to take a look back in chapter 4, specifically the case involving Therac-25. Please elaborate (beyond a yes or no answer) and provide yourtheoretical rationale in support of your responses. (comprehension)