by Emanuelle Burton; Judy Goldsmith; Nicholas Mattei; Cory Siler; Sara-Jo Swiatek
A new approach to teaching computing and technology ethics using science fiction stories.
Should
autonomous weapons be legal? Will we be cared for by robots in our old
age? Does the efficiency of online banking outweigh the risk of theft?
From communication to travel to medical care, computing technologies
have transformed our daily lives, for better and for worse. But how do
we know when a new development comes at too high a cost? Using science
fiction stories as case studies of ethical ambiguity, this engaging
textbook offers a comprehensive introduction to ethical theory and its
application to contemporary developments in technology and computer
science.
Computing and Technology
Ethics: Engaging through Science Fiction first introduces the major
ethical frameworks: deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics,
communitarianism, and the modern responses of responsibility ethics,
feminist ethics, and capability ethics. It then applies these
frameworks to many of the modern issues arising in technology ethics
including privacy, computing, and artificial intelligence. A
corresponding anthology of science fiction brings these quandaries to
life and challenges students to ask ethical questions of themselves and
their work.
- Uses science fiction case studies to make ethics education engaging and fun
- Trains students to recognize, evaluate, and respond to ethical problems as they arise
- Features
anthology of short stories from internationally acclaimed writers
including Ken Liu, Elizabeth Bear, Paolo Bacigalupi, and T. C. Boyle to
animate ethical challenges in computing technology
- Written by interdisciplinary author team of computer scientists and ethical theorists
- Includes a robust suite of instructor resources, such as pedagogy guides, story frames, and reflection questions
