Computer Ethics

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Act Utilitarianism

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puts the emphasis on individual actions rather than rules. They believe that even though it may be difficult for us to anticipate the consequences of our actions, which we should try to do.

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Rule Utilitarian’s

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argue that we ought to adopt rules that if followed by everyone would in the long run maximize happiness

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Algorithm

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is an effective method for solving a problem using a finite sequence of instructions

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Categorical Imperative

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o Kant’s moral philosophy that focuses on never treating another human being merely as a means but always as an end. It means that people are moral beings because they are rational.

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Consequentialism

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o Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action. This view is often expressed as the aphorism "The ends justify the means".

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Copyright

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is a form of intellectual property that gives the author of an original work exclusive right for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain

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Deontology

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Is an approach to ethics that determines goodness or rightness from examining acts.

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Descriptive statement

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Are statements that describe a state of affairs in the world. For example, the car is in the driveway.

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Normative statement

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Claims are perspective and evaluate, ultimately what is the case and what ought to be the case

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Ethical relativity

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o The position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect universal moral truths (neither objective nor subjective) Instead, moral relativism makes claims relative to social, cultural, or historical circumstances. Moral relativists hold that no universal standard exists by which to assess an ethical proposition's truth.

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FOSS

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o Free and Open Source Software is software that is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code.

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Hypothetical Imperative

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o A hypothetical imperative, originally introduced in the philosophical writings of Immanuel Kant, is a commandment of reason that applies only conditionally: Kant divides hypothetical imperatives into two subcategories: the rules of skill and the counsels of prudence. The rules of skill are conditional and are specific to each and every person to which the skill is mandated by. The counsels of prudence (or rules of prudence) are attained a priori (unlike the rules of skill which are attained via experience, or a posteriori) and have universal goals such as happiness. Thus, almost any moral "rule" about how to act is hypothetical, because it assumes that your goal is to be moral, or to be happy, or to please God, etc. The only non-hypothetical imperatives are ones which tell you to do something no matter who you are or what you want, because the thing is good in itself.

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Intrinsic

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It is the ethical or philosophic value that an object has "in itself" or "for its own sake", as an intrinsic property. An object with intrinsic value may be regarded as an end or end-in-itself

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Instrumental

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is the value of objects, both physical objects and abstract objects, not as ends-in-themselves but a means of achieving something else

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Lessing’s 4 influences in human behavior

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Norms, Market, Law, Architecture

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Patent

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o Is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention.

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PS

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Proprietary software is any computer software with restrictions on use or private modification, or with restrictions judged to be excessive on copying or publishing of modified or unmodified versions

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Social Contract theory

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The idea that individuals have fundamental rights is deeply rooted in Social Contract Theory.

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Source Code

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any collection of statements or declarations written in some human-readable computer programming language.

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Technological determinism

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o Technological determinism is a reductionist theory that presumes that a society's technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values. The term is believed to have been coined by Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929), an American sociologist.

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Trade Secrecy

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a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers.

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Utilitarianism

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often described by the phrase "the greatest good for the greatest number of people", and is also known as "the greatest happiness principle". Utility, the good to be maximized, has been defined by various thinkers as happiness or pleasure (versus suffering or pain), although preference utilitarian’s define it as the satisfaction of preferences. It may be described as a life stance, with happiness or pleasure being of ultimate importance.