Virtue Ethics in Technology

10 Questions

What is the primary goal of incorporating diverse perspectives in technology design?

To address the potential ethical implications of technology and protect individuals and societal values

What is the role of a designated dissenter in technology design?

To challenge assumptions and advocate for users who may be overlooked or vulnerable

What is the primary focus of the second stage of computer development?

Users and context

What is the primary goal of value-sensitive design?

To incorporate moral values into technology design

What is the focus of the fourth stage of computer development?

Constraint to technology at the service of society

What is the primary difference between inherent diversity and acquired diversity?

Inherent diversity refers to a group's innate traits, while acquired diversity refers to perspectives gained through experience

What is the primary goal of responsible innovation in technology design?

To ensure technology is used responsibly and benefits society

What is the primary focus of the third stage of computer development?

On-going debates about equality, property, privacy, sustainability, autonomy, and accountability

What is the primary role of stakeholder analysis in technology design?

To consider the needs of real people and potential stakeholders, including those who may be negatively impacted

What is the primary goal of incorporating ethical values into technology design?

To ensure technology is used responsibly and benefits society

Study Notes

Virtue Ethics

Technologists can use virtue ethics to evaluate design habits, consider long-term impact, and assess virtues and vices promoted by their designs.
Virtue ethics recognizes the importance of individuals with virtuous character traits and practical wisdom in ethical decision-making.
It acknowledges the complexity and context-sensitivity of moral life and encourages the cultivation of virtues and the suppression of vices.
Virtue ethics focuses on personal development and asks us to reflect on who we are and who we aspire to become as morally excellent professionals.

Care Ethics

Care ethics focuses on the relationships between individuals and emphasizes the moral value of interdependence and context of ethical decisions.
It challenges the emphasis on autonomy and abstract principles, highlighting the role of embodiment, emotion, empathy, and compassion in ethical decision-making.
Care ethics raises questions about the impact on relationships, categorization of users, embodiment in virtual reality, and the use of robots for care work.
It encourages technologists to consider the effects of their projects on relationships, prioritize meaningful relationships, recognize relevant distinctions, acknowledge interdependence, and promote care for the public and the environment.

Key Concepts

Habits of character/virtues and vices (features of a person's character, both good and bad)
Context (particular contexts in which decisions about technology developments are made, as well as the contexts in which the technology will be deployed)
Expression of already-existing virtues and vices (technological products will express virtues and vices that already exist in creators and users of technology)
Cultivation of new virtues and vices (technological products may cultivate or reinforce virtues and vices in their users)

Ethical Issues

Communities (of varying scales, ranging from families to neighborhoods, towns, provinces, nations, and the world)
Relationships (not only among individuals, but also relationships in a more holistic sense of groups, including nonhuman animals and the natural world as well)
Institutions of governance (and the ways in which these networked institutions interact with each other)
Economic institutions (including corporations and corporate cultures, trade organizations, etc.)
Other social institutions (such as religious groups, alumni associations, professional associations, environmental groups, etc.)

Design Approaches

Value-sensitive design
Responsible innovation (without detailed conception of how to use moral values to shape technology)
Phases of computer systems development:
- Stage 1: technology only
- Stage 2: users and context
- Stage 3: on-going debates about equality, property, privacy, sustainability, autonomy, and accountability
- Stage 4: constraint to technology at the service of society