Social Implications of a Computerized Society Lecture 1

Social Implications of a Computerized Society Lecture 1 Instructor: Oliver Schulte Simon Fraser University 1

Outline • Benefits and Applications of Computers. • We’ll talk a lot about problems later. • Also introduce some fundamental philosophical concepts from ethics. • Key concepts and issues: – Different types of benefits (economic, efficience, convenience, new personal opportunities, better government) – Do computers make old problems worse? How? – Do computers introduce new problems? – Where can we look for solutions: law, technology, education, the marketplace? – Utilitarianism, deontic morality, universalizability, categorical imperative, positive/negative rights, 1 st/3 rd person preferences. 2

The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change Have you used a computer today? You have if you used… • • • an ATM, a CD-player, a cell phone, a modern appliance, or an electronic device. 3

The Good and the Bad: Questions for the Class 1. How many believe computers are increasing unemployment in Canadian society? 2. How many believe computers databases are a serious threat to personal privacy? Any ones in particular? 4

Group Discussion Questions 1. Do you think computers in the future will understand language? 2. Do you believe computers will eventually really think? 3. What is your favourite computer application/use? 4. What application not yet existing would you like to see most in the future? 5. What for you is the worst aspect of computers? 5

Some Positive Impacts of New Technology: • • • Convenience. New types of jobs. More options for transactions. Improvements in crime-fighting. Small error rate. 6

Efficiency Benefits of Computer Applications • • Time-saving, Cost-saving. Less effort than older technologies. Improved accuracy. Examples: Word processing. Inventory management. Your own? • Entertainment/fun. 7

Entertainment/Fun • Video Games: make as much money as boxoffice receipts for movies. • CD music quality. • DVDs for movies. • Video Sharing: – Rise of amateur videos on the web – Boom of websites like Youtube and Myspace – Many videos on the web (have you used bittorrent this week? ). Issue in current Writer’s Strike. 8

Benefits Computers Bring to Communication • Non-invasive; read at recipient’s convenience. • Time-saving. • Free Access to vast amounts of information empowerment. • Much information on WWW is free. • Public forums not limited to geographic boundaries. • More independence. • More options for communicating. • “Many-to-many” medium; TV/radio are “one-to-many”. 9

Benefits of Computers in Fighting Crime • Improved crime reporting. • Faster search of arrest records and fingerprint files. • Remote access to records and reports, e. g. from patrol cars. • Enhancement of records (fingerprints and photos). • Access to numerous databases. • Improved sensoring, monitoring, and surveillance equipment. • Data mining/visualization for crime patterns. Q: How are computers used to fight crime in your community? 10

Crime Fighting: Examples • Automated Regional Justice Information System (17 cities) ARJIS website • Subject arrested for burglary, police matched MO, solved several burglaries in other cities. • 1995 OK city bombing: suspect had been arrested for traffic violation after bombing. • Art dealers post information about stolen art so other dealers can watch for it. 11

Benefits Computers Bring to Medicine • • • Sophisticated imaging. Reduced surgery time. Training surgeons. Patient monitoring. Improved treatments. Fewer errors. Q: How does your doctor make use of computers? Would you be use a computerized diagnosis system? Instead of a doctor? 12

Medical Computing: Examples. • Software controls pacemakers that sense abnormal heartbeat and give a low-voltage shock to the heart. • MRI imaging, CT scans for diagnosis. • Joystick surgery: software filters out shaky movements by physician. • Record keeping: quick access to your record in the hospital. 13

Appreciating the Benefits Patient Records • • • More legible. Better organized. Accessible by many sites, simultaneously. Available immediately. Improved statistical research. Q: How does your medical clinic use computers? 14

Benefits Computers Bring to the Disabled • Disability-specific computer applications (e. g. , a braille printer, large size print). • Control of household and workplace appliances via speech (people who can’t use their hands. ) • Control of artificial limbs by microprocessors. • Improved vision with computer chip on the retina. Q: How are computers benefiting the disabled in your school or workplace? 15

Benefits Computers Bring to Identification • Time-saving, Accuracy, Ease-of-use, Costsaving. • More secure. • Customizable. • Reliable. • Examples: Bar codes Satellite track car if stolen Track people (e. g. , patients with Alzheimer’s ) Q: How are computers used to identify you at school or work? 16

Benefits of Computers in Reducing Paper Use and Garbage • Send/receive digital documents instead of hardcopy. • Read, write, and edit online. • Cost-saving; smaller storage needed. • Creation of toxic wastes at paper mills reduced. Q: Have computers reduced paper use in your school or workplace? 17

Some Negative Impacts of New Technology: • • • Unemployment. Alienation, Isolation. Poor Customer Service. Crime. Loss of Privacy. Errors. 18

Sources for Solutions • • • Technology. Management. Law. Education. The market. It’s important to consider different approaches. Choosing a solution can involve difficult ethical issues. 19

Some Basic Concepts from Ethics • Differences Between Personal Choices, Business Policies, and Law • Arguments for personal choice or organizational policy are not sufficient for enforcing decisions [laws] against others. • Argument for law = argument forcing decisions on people who disagree. • E. g. , smoking ban. • Negative Rights • Liberties; rights to act without interference. Positive Rights • Claim-rights; rights that impose obligation on others to provide certain things. 1 st-Person preference: what I would like to be able to do/have for myself 3 rd-person preference: what I want others to do. 20

Positive and Negative Rights • Isiah Berlin (1958) “Two Concepts of Liberty”. • Negative Rights: Right or freedom to act without interference. – Example: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly. • Positive Rights: aka Claim-rights, entitlements. – Example: positive right to education, health care 21

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms “Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: • (a) freedom of conscience and religion; • (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; • (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and • (d) freedom of association. ” Are these positive or negative rights? Discuss with your neighbour. 22

UN Declaration of Rights of Child • “Principle 2 
The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and by other means, to enable him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. 

 • Principle 3 
The child shall be entitled from his birth to a name and nationality. 

 • Principle 4 
The child shall enjoy the benefits of social security. He shall be entitled to grow and develop in health; to this end special care and protection shall be provided both to him and to his mother, including adequate prenatal and postnatal care. The child shall have the right to adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and medial services. ” Are these positive or negative rights? Discuss with your neighbour. 23

Positive vs. Negative Rights • How does a smoking ban illustrate a conflict between positive and negative rights? • Berlin: – Negative rights mark capitalism: freedom to act, choose, advertise, sell etc. , but few entitlements. – Positive rights mark socialism: restricted personal liberties, but entitlement to work, shelter, food etc. 24

1 st-person vs. 3 rd-person preferences • Another useful distinction. • 1 st person preferences: what I would like for myself. E. g. , what music I want to listen to. • 3 rd person preferences: what I would like for others (to do or to have). E. g. , what music I want to be played at the party. • 1 st person preferences carry more weight (in our society) because they express the autonomy of individuals. • Distinction can be problematic: – E. g. , you sell me something, and I want to make this fact public. Is this a preference about my purchase (1 st person) or your sale (3 rd person)? 25

Utilitarian Ethics (J. S. Mill) • Consider a group of people. Act to maximize the sum total of their happiness (pleasure), and minimize their pain = maximize their utility. • E. g. , let’s go see the movie that most people like, or let’s finish class early if that’s what most people want. • In simple utilitarianism, “the ends justify the means”. 26

Deontic approaches to morality • “duty-based” ethics, from Greek: δέον (deon) meaning 'obligation' or 'duty. • Some acts are intrinsically right or wrong, regardless of consequences. • E. g. , it is wrong to kill. 27

The Ten Commandments: Example of Deontic Morality • Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. • You shall not murder. • You shall not commit adultery. • You shall not steal. • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. • You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour. 28

Group Discussion The San Francisco department of public health determined that several men who had contracted syphilis had met through an AOL gay chat room. The department asked AOL for the contact information about other visitors to the chat room to inform them about the possibility of having contracted the diseases. • What would a utilitarian say about this case? • What would a deontic approach say about this case? 29

Universalizability • The Golden Rule (Jesus, Buddha, Confucius): Treat others as you want to be treated. • Universalizability: What if everybody acted like you? What if we treated everybody like this? – E. g. , what if everybody litters the park? • Kant’s categorical imperative (my version): Act such that the principle of your action could be adopted by everyone in society. “It’s a question of principle”. • E. g. , in the chatroom case, AOL might argue that it’s important to uphold the principle of protecting user identities. 30

Group Discussion on Torture • What would the different views say about Torture--utilitarian, deontic, golden rule, universality, Kantian? • Torturing prisoners to possibly prevent a terrorist attack? • Jakob’s case (Germany 2002): torture an abductor to reveal location of abducted child? • Mc. Cain on Torture 31

Discussion Question Who has downloaded music in the last week? Did you infringe copyright? Do you see an ethical problem? 32