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Lesson 4: Virtue ethics and Ethics of Care
Virtue Ethics
Western philosophy had its origin in ancient Greece a little more than three millennia ago. While many of the theories they had about the world have not stood the test of time, some of their contributions to the field of ethics are still very relevant today. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle conceived of an ethics based on the cultivation of character and virtue. His belief was that Instead of trying to impose ethics on a society through large social institutions, he argues that we can only be successful if we concentrate on the moral character of each individual. A virtuous society can only happen if all of its members are individually virtuous. As we will see, Aristotle taught us that good personal character is found in those who seek to avoid extreme behaviors or motivations. Today, this idea has become part of a larger field of study called "Virtue ethics."
Let's begin by looking at this video and then please read this description of Virtue Ethics.
Assignment 7: Writing reflection (200-400 words) posted to the comments section below (please label this as "Assignment 7")—Think of a programmer, hacker, or other information technology professional that you admire. What are the personal characteristics of this person that you think you might be able to emulate? How could a version of virtue ethics be worked into your professional life?
Ethics of Care
You may have noticed that up to this point, there has not been a lot of women involved in the development of ethics. This is a little overstated because there are many fine contributions to the ethical theories we have looked at by women scholars, but it is true that they never get credited with founding any of these schools of thought. In the last few decades feminist philosophers have tried to redress this omission by beginning to rethink traditional ethics from the point of view of women and one of the results of that work is a theory called "Ethics of Care." In this theory it is argued that the human capacity for care is the most important concept in creating a workable ethics and that care has been largely neglected by traditional thinkers as merely a women's concern.
Watch this video and then please take a look at this reading on feminist ethics.
If we accept the claim that the status of women has affected their ability to contribute to the study of ethics, we must also take seriously the claim that the status of other marginalized communities has likely affected their ability to contribute to the study of ethics. To redress this we must also broaden our purview to ethical theories that originate in cultures other than the west. This is a very big topic and we can only do a brief survey, but it is important to learn what we can from these rich traditions in ethical thought. By the end of this lesson, you will see how these theories can help us confront ethical problems encountered by IT professionals today.
Since the IT profession is an international business, it is important to have some familiarity with the ethical thought of other cultures. One that cannot be ignored is Chinese ethics. Please read over the following article on Chinese ethics. Some cultures can really challenge core concepts in western ethics and one of those is the ethical theories found in Africa. Please review them here. Finally, read section four of this entry on international business ethics to learn how we might apply this cultural sensitivity to international business.
In later lessons we will be applying what we have learned in this section to specific topics in the ethics of information and computer technologies.
Assignment 8: Writing reflection (200-400 words) post this to the comments section below and label it as "Assignment 8")— Imagine you are doing business with a group of people who see privacy from a vastly different perspective than you. How might you go about resolving this problem given what you learned in this lesson? Please use examples form the readings and lectures.
Assignment #8
Working in a team oriented environment can be tricky, the people you work all have different perspectives and upbringings, it makes working together a challenge sometimes. It is a reason why during the interview process for hiring in such environment, it is important to hire people that show traits of being able to work with different types of personalities. You want to get people that are on the same page, as an organization, you don't want to run in the risk of jeopardizing the chemistry already built within your team. Performance and chemistry may be compromised if a person with a different perspective towards privacy is added to the group. These articles given today were great examples to showcase how people from different backgrounds can have different views on ethics and privacy. As long as the goal is the same and all sides of the business agree on the same terms, a good outcome will most likely be the final result. Like minded people in a team environment will be able to understand each others background especially when it comes to privacy, once this is achieved, compromise between everyone brings a more harmonious team environment.
Assignment #7
I am a tech enthusiast, not an IT professional by trait. However, one of my hobbies in the tech field is following blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. The person or people who created the very first cryptocurrency goes by the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto. Satoshi Nakamoto, he/she/they created Bitcoin, the very first form of digital and global money system which solves the double-spending problem for digital currency. It allows people to send or receive money across the internet, even to someone they don’t know or don’t trust. The very basis in which this technology was created is on the mathematical field of cryptography, it was done this way by Satoshi to ensure Bitcoin’s security. Whoever this person is intelligent enough to know that going against our current monetary system is going to upset the big wigs and lots of powerful people in the world who rely on the monetary system to stay the way it has been for decades, I admire anyone who is willing to push the envelope and think outside of our current norm. Maybe for the reasons mentioned above is why he/she/they have not disclosed any personal information, also, Satoshi Nakamoto is sitting on 1 million Bitcoins which are worth billions of dollars as of today’s rate, the fact that he/she/they haven’t moved the coins is remarkable. Bitcoin and blockchain technology are paving the way to revolutionize the way we do business in the financial sector, data sector, how we’ll interact with each other through social platforms, medical records, transportation, mapping systems, etc. Blockchain technology can and would change our lives outside or inside our workplace.
Assignment #8
Life is filled with dealing with people whose viewpoints are different than yours, especially in the work place and when dealing with people on an international level. If I was doing business with a group of people who see privacy very differently than I do the first thing that I would have to do is try to understand their train of thought and even look at the culture in which they are from. Americans view their privacy as a right, something very important and that should not be tampered with. Other cultures such as the African cultures view privacy very differently than Americans. The article titled, African Ethics, went into greater detail about how African’s view privacy- that they will converse with someone that they do not know for a long period of time and will not be offended when he or she asks personal questions about the other person’s life and in fact will do the same to them because it is seen as being, “open to the interest of other people”. It is not seen as a negative interference but is instead viewed as a bond between two strangers. After understanding the differences in cultures viewpoint of privacy I think that if they do not do the same, it is important to explain how your culture is and how it differs from theirs so they are able to comprehend the distinctions as well. After this is achieved it will be best to come to a compromise so that way both groups are getting what they want out of the business deal.
Assignment #7
To be honest I do not know many programmers, hackers, or other information technology professionals. The only technological professional that I can think of is the very popular and infamous Steve Jobs. When I think of Steve Jobs I think of someone who has transformed the technological world. He redefined and redesigned how people operate technological devices on a day-to-day basis. Jobs was very risky such redesigning the laptops, computers, I-pod, and cell phones. No one has done anything to the degree that he has and he was not sure if it was going to be successful or not but still did it anyways. The sleekness and functionality of all his devices drew a lot of people into the brand and have become very loyal customers. I am one of these people; I have had apple products for the majority of the time that I have owned any technological devices. Personal characteristics of Steve Jobs that I can try to mirror is to be risky; often times I like to stay in the comfort zone because it is a ‘safe place’. A version of virtue ethics that I can work into my professional life is to ‘inclined to act’ and not just sit back. Many people, including myself, are not brave enough to speak up about something and just sit back. In order to follow in virtue ethics this is not enough and I have to participate in the action of getting things done. The video describes that this will occur by, “developing skill, through practice, rational choice, and education”.
Good work so far. It looks like a few of you are still missing your posts. Check the grades in Moodle to make sure you have a grade for this or not.
Assignment #8
When working with people that are from different cultures, and backgrounds can cause for some issues to arise. These issues can come from different opinions on certain matters, cultural backgrounds etc. If I were working with a group of people that have different views of privacy than me, I would first try and understand where they are coming from and why they think the way they do. After doing this, it is always good to come to a compromise. This relates to step 3 of the psychological stages of moral development, which is where one starts to weave the interests of others in with their own. This is extremely important when working with people who have different opinions as you. It is also very important to understand ethics of different cultures. By understanding this, allows for a better understanding on why the group of people may have a different opinion on privacy than me. As long as my group understands the main goal of the project, will allow for corporation in achieving the goal. Every member of the group should feel comfortable in achieving the group goal. I believe that there should be respect for one another and to clearly understand where each group members opinions are coming from.
Assignment #8
In business no matter what field, you are always going to run into some discrepancies with an individual or group of members. It is important to know how to handle this situation in a proper and ethical manner. After reading the lesson along with my own personal opinion I think the most important thing with an issue is how you approach the situation. This includes the tone of your voice, your wording and body language. The tone of your voice when approaching a conflict really sets up how you are willing to work out the conflict. For instance, a raised angry tone will come off aggressive and unwilling to communicate. A soft yet firm voice will come across as wanting to seriously talk but still willing to listen to discuss a meeting ground. After reading the articles I think it is best to go about these situations that considers everyone’s points and happiness.
Assignment #7
A technology professional that I admire has to be Elon Musk. His extraordinary inventions and creations has pushed forward modern technology and he still continues to do so. Some characteristics that Elon Musk carries would be hard work, determination and curiosity. I believe Elon Musk emulates the characteristic of being a hard worker because he has never given up, even when things don't necessarily go his way. He tries different things, and keeps creating ground-breaking ideas and products. He emulates determination because he strives for greatness and his products have been a prime example of that over the years. I believe another characteristic of him is curiosity because he is always establishing new technology like the Tesla and renewable spaceship. Another reason why I admire Elon Musk is because of how insightful he is. He's always creating new technology that is different and new to society. He is extremely intelligent and has pursued his dreams with out anything stopping him. By having good virtue ethics can help push you into achieving your dreams of what ever you want to do in your life. I would like to look up to Elon Musk and all his achievements as an inspiration to further my virtue ethics in my professional life.
Assignment #7
Although this person is a fictional character, the hacker I admire is Penelope Garcia from the show Criminal Minds. For those unfamiliar with this show and her character, she is a bubbly female who works for the FBI and who is a technology guru. When there is an ongoing case file and the team needs information on a suspect or victim she is is the ultimate hacker. I admire her as a hacker because she uses her technology hacking skills for the greater good. Since most of the cases the FBI are often very heavy and dark she has a bubbly personality to keep everyone on the team uplifted and is constantly giving them hope. I find this very admirable because she not only takes pride and value in satisfying her role but for the whole team as well. Another key factor that I find ethically admirable is that she used to use her hacking skills for bad such as hacking businesses illegally or for the dark web but then choose to do something to better the world. As a person in the tech industry I admire her because I as well want to do good with my tech skills.
assignment 7: A hacking professional whom I deeply admire is Adeanna Cooke. She is a self taught female hacker, pornography actress and playboy model who has gained notoriety over the years for her use of ‘ethical’ hacking to return stolen images to victims. Cooke is famous for viciously hacking piggy-back websites and removing all unauthorized or stolen images of herself. She began teaching her self computer-programming shorty after she began her spicier modeling carrier and quickly became adept at both. I think she is a perfect example of value ethics because of her Robin Hood type theft style. She is a thief and illegal hacker on a surface level yet she herself only (as far as we know) steals back property and photographs that have been stolen from her or her clients. Although her actions are unethical she her self operates as a morally sound agent and therefore her actions become moral within virtue ethics. This brand of ethical behavior is certainly an idealistic, if not cliché one, but I feel this repurposing of skills for ethical purposes is a good, and downright poetic one and I hope to accomplish a similar balance in my own life.