Does computing need to go beyond good and evil impacts?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-10-2014-0045 |
| Pages | 190-204 |
| Published date | 10 August 2015 |
| Date | 10 August 2015 |
| Author | Randy Connolly,Alan Fedoruk |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Does computing need to go
beyond good and evil impacts?
Randy Connolly and Alan Fedoruk
Department of Computer Science and Information Systems,
Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to demonstrate that computing social issues courses are often being taught
by articulating the social impacts of different computer technologies and then applying moral theories
to those impacts. It then argues that that approach has a number of serious drawbacks.
Design/methodology/approach – A bibliometric analysis of ETHICOMP papers is carried out.
Papers from early in the history of ETHICOMP are compared to recent years, so as to determine if
papers are more or less focused on social scientic examinations of issues or on ethical evaluations of
impacts of technology. The literature is examined to argue the drawbacks of the impact approach.
Findings – Over time, ETHICOMP papers have moved away from social scientic examinations of
computing to more philosophic and ethical evaluations of perceived impacts of computing. The impact
approach has a number of drawbacks. First, it is based on a technological deterministic style of social
explanation that has been in disrepute in the academic social sciences for decades. Second, it uses an
algorithmic approach to ethics that simplies the social complexity and uncertainty that is the reality of
socio-technological change.
Research limitations/implications – The methodology used in this paper is limited in several
ways. The bibliometric analysis only examined ve years of ETHICOMP papers, while the literature
review focused on published computing education research. It is possible that neither of these forms of
evidence reects actual common teaching practice.
Practical implications – It is hoped that the arguments in this paper will convince teaching
practitioners to modify the way they are teaching computing social issues courses: that is, the authors
hope to convince educators to add more focus on the social context of computing.
Originality/value – The use of bibliometric analysis in this area is unique. The paper’s argument is
perhaps unusual as well.
Keywords Computer ethics, Socio-technical systems, Education policy
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
One of the many breakthroughs in the teaching of computing over the past two decades
has been the relatively widespread recognition of the importance of social and ethical
issues (SEI) in the education of computing professionals. A 1991 computing curricula
report argued that students “need to understand the basic cultural, social, legal, and
ethical issues inherent in the discipline of computing” (Tucker, 1991). The Association
for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), the two main professional organizations for the different computing
disciplines, have promulgated numerous curricula recommendations that have
maintained this claim. The current recommendation for computer science assigns
11 core hours to Social Issues and Professional Practice: four of those are to ethics, one to
the social context of computing and the remaining hours cover some key issue areas
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm
JICES
13,3/4
190
Received 10 October 2014
Revised 18 January 2015
Accepted 3 March 2015
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.13 No. 3/4, 2015
pp.190-204
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-10-2014-0045
To continue reading
Request your trial