CISC280 project 2

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Computer Science

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Dec 6, 2023

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CISC280 - Project 2 1. In The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde wrote: “Conscience and cowardice are really the same thing” [29]. In other words, the fear of getting caught is the only thing that stops people from doing bad things. Do you agree? Why or why not? I do not agree. People can do good things without being motivated by the fear of being caught if they do something bad instead. 2. If everyone agreed to take the ethical point of view by respecting others and their core values, would there be any need for a rigorous study of ethics? Yes there would be, because every individual’s definition of “respecting others” can vary. 3. If you had to choose only one of the ethical theories presented in this chapter and use it for all your personal ethical decision making, which theory would you choose? Why? How would you respond to the arguments raised against the theory you have chosen? I would choose Social Contract Theory because as someone with Asperger’s, I tend to think very logically. ARGUMENT 1: “None of us signed the social contract.” MY RESPONSE: It’s not a contract in the sense that there is something to be signed and by which to be legally bound. It is a logical, rational understanding of facts, values, and reasoning. ARGUMENT 2: “Some actions can be characterized in multiple ways.” MY RESPONSE: I agree with this argument. Life isn’t black and white, nor should the decisions we make be. I think society as a whole would agree that stealing is wrong. But in my opinion, a homeless mother stealing formula for her baby is very different than someone stealing a car for the thrill of it. I think the circumstances of a situation need to be taken into account when determining the response to an action. ARGUMENT 3: “Social contract theory does not explain how to solve a moral problem when the analysis reveals conflicting rights.” MY RESPONSE: I agree with this as well. Let’s take the issue of abortion as mentioned in the textbook. I was raised Roman Catholic and was EXTREMELY pro-life growing up. As I drifted farther away from the church and really started paying attention to my pro-choice friends and the scientific and logical reasons they gave for their beliefs, I weighed both sides against each other and came to my own personal conclusion that abortion is a right that everyone with a uterus is entitled to. I don’t think every moral problem has to be solved to a universal acceptance. ARGUMENT 4: “Social contract theory may be unjust to those people who are incapable of upholding their side of the contract.” MY RESPONSE: There is a difference between someone who intentionally breaks the rules and someone who isn’t capable of understanding the rules or truly comprehending the severity of their actions. If someone of sound mind breaks into someone else’s house and steal from them, they should be punished accordingly – sent to jail and made to return the items and/or pay restitution. If someone who is, for example, a drug addict who is stealing to feed their addiction, I personally believe that addiction is a mental illness and should be treated as such. I think that person should be made to pay restitution to the person from whom they stole, but I also believe that throwing them in jail doesn’t help them or society as a whole. I think rehab and therapy to deal with their underlying issues would be far more beneficial. That being said, the addict has to want the help for it to be effective. However, I don’t believe that mental illness in and of itself should be a “get out of jail free” card. I think things need to be taken on a case-by-case basis.

CISC280 - Project 2 4. Most ethical theories agree on a large number of moral guidelines. For example, it is nearly universally held that it is wrong to steal. What difference, then, does it make whether someone subscribes to the divine command theory, Kantianism, utilitarianism, or one of the other ethical theories? The differences are in how they consider the consequences of an action and how they determine whether a moral rule is correct. Act utilitarians believe that an action is good if its benefits exceed its harms. Virtue theorists look at whether the action taken in a particular situation is characteristic of a virtuous person. A rule utilitarian focuses on whether the long-term consequences of everyone following the rule would be for the total good. A social construct theorist looks at whether rational people would agree to accept the rule, for everyone’s mutual benefit, provided that everyone else agreed to follow the rule as well. A Kantian relies upon the two Categorical Imperatives: that one should act only on moral rules that they can imagine everyone else following without deriving a logical contradiction, and to give everyone the dignity and respect they deserve as autonomous, rational beings (don’t “use” anyone). 5. Suppose a spaceship lands in your neighborhood. Friendly aliens emerge and invite humans to enter the galactic community. You learn that this race of aliens has colonized virtually the entire galaxy; Earth is one of the few inhabitable planets to host a different intelligent species. The aliens seem to be remarkably open-minded. They ask you to outline the ethical theory that should guide the interactions between our two species. Which ethical theory would you describe? Why? I would describe the social construct theory because I feel that it is the most logical and fair of the various ethical theories. 6. The Silver Rule states, “Do not do unto others what you do not want them to do unto you.” Which of the five workable ethical theories is closest to the Silver Rule? Virtue Theory 7. According to the Golden Rule, you should do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Which of the five workable ethical theories is closest to the Golden Rule? Virtue Theory 8. Are there any ethical theories described in this chapter that would allow someone to use the argument “Everybody is doing it” to show that an activity is not wrong? I think the ethical theory that comes closest to be able to allow someone to use that argument is the Social Construct Theory, but this question can be interpreted in different ways. I don’t think the theory should be used as a scapegoat to get away with something that is morally wrong (just because everyone else is doing 80 on a highway where the speed limit is 65 doesn’t make it right and doesn’t mean you can’t be pulled over and given a ticket for it), but you can show that an activity or action is not morally wrong. 9. How well does Moor’s theory of just consequentialism (described in the interview at the end of this chapter) solve the problems associated with Kantianism and rule utilitarianism?

CISC280 - Project 2 I believe Moor’s theory of just consequentialism addresses the problems with Kantianism and rule utilitarianism quite well. Consequentialism allows for exceptions to be made, allows for rules to be altered if unfair, and focuses on taking action based on consequences, thereby resolving the issues inherent in Kantianism and rule utilitarianism. 10. Can moral decisions be made on a completely codified, algorithmic basis, or are there fundamental weaknesses to this approach to moral decision making? There are fundamental weaknesses to this approach. Yes, stealing is wrong, but someone stealing to feed their children shouldn’t receive the same punishment as someone stealing credit card information to be able to buy themselves high-end electronics. 11. What are some examples of contemporary information technology issues for which our society’s moral guidelines seem to be nonexistent or unclear? (Hint: Think about issues that are generating a lot of media coverage.) The widespread misinformation about COVID-19 immediately comes to mind. People are stating blatant lies as truth on social media, on websites, on news channels, etc. and there is virtually no accountability for it. The people spreading these falsehoods hide behind the First Amendment’s Freedom of Speech clause; however, freedom of speech does NOT mean freedom from consequence. Freedom of speech means that the government cannot kill you for things you say. It does NOT mean that having your Twitter account banned due to you posting dangerous misinformation is a violation of your rights. 12. People give a variety of reasons for copying a music CD from a friend instead of buying it [30]. Refute each of the reasons given below, using one of the viable theories described in this chapter. (You don’t have to use the same theory each time.) a. I don’t have enough money to buy it. Save your money or wait for the CD to go on sale and then buy it. b. The retail price is too high. The artist worked hard to produce the music and deserves to be compensated for their work. c. The company is gouging customers. That’s on the company. Two wrongs don’t make a right. d. Since I wouldn’t have bought it anyway, the company didn’t lose a sale. It’s still not right to steal from the artist. e. I’m giving my friend the opportunity to do a good deed. Stealing from the artist is not a good deed. f. Everyone else is doing it. Why should I be the only person to buy it when everyone else is getting it for free? Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it the right thing to do. g. This is a drop in the bucket compared to Chinese pirates who sell billions of dollars’ worth of copied music. That “drop in the bucket” multiplied by the hundreds of thousands (or more) of people who are also copying the music instead of buying it add up pretty quickly. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right.

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CISC280 - Project 2 h. This is insignificant compared to the billions of dollars’ worth of music being exchanged over the Internet. One incident may be insignificant, but add together all the other people who are committing this “insignificant” action and it turns out to be pretty significant. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right. 13. Students in a history class are asked to take a quiz posted on the course Web site. The instructor has explained the following rules to the students: First, they are supposed to do their own work. Second, they are free to consult their lecture notes and the textbook while taking the quiz. Third, in order to get credit for the quiz, they must correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions. If they do not get a score of 80 percent, they may retake the quiz as many times as they wish. Mary and John are both taking the quiz. They are sitting next to each other in the computer room. John asks Mary for help in answering one of the questions. He says, “What’s the difference if you tell me the answer, I look it up in the book, or I find out from the computer that my answer is wrong and retake the quiz? In any case, I’ll end up getting credit for the right answer.” Mary tells John the correct answer to the question. Discuss the morality of Mary’s decision. What Mary did was morally wrong. Not only is she not helping John learn the correct answer or how to find the correct answer on his own, but she is directly violating one of the teacher’s rules: to do their own work. My response to John would be: “If there’s no difference, then do the work yourself.” 14. Suppose a society holds that it is wrong for one individual to eavesdrop on the telephone conversations of another citizen. Should that society also prohibit the government from listening in on its citizens’ te lephone conversations? I do not believe that the government should be allowed to spy on its citizens when the people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. If you are having a private phone conversation in your home, in your car, etc., the government shouldn’t be allowed to listen in on that. If you’re having a conversation on the train, in a public park, etc., there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, and the government (and anyone else) can listen in to at least your end of the conversation (or the entire conversation if you have the call on speaker).

CISC280 project 2

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