Computer Ethics
Monday, December 28th, 2009
Computers have rapidly become a ubiquitous tool in engineering and business. Unfortunately there are numerous ways in which computers have been misused, leading to serious social ethics. Many ethical problems associated with computer use relate to unauthorized use of information stored on computer databases and proprietary information. The popular and main act is referred to as hacking which comes in the forms of gaining unauthorized access to a database, implanting false information or altering existing information and disseminating viruses over the internet. Hackers are not being malicious, but are simply trying to push the envelope and see the capable of their computers. The ethical concerns arise because of the increasingly autonomous nature of the computers. Autonomy refers to the ability of a computer to make decisions without intervention of humans. By use of the autonomous computers, we can greatly increase productivity, efficiency in many areas and prevent disasters.
The goal of carrying is to help other actualize himself. It is an extension of one’s self. Devotion and constancy are essential elements of caring. Caring another helps the others to care for and about others. Help in way that the cared for can go on to help himself. Learning and living a life of carrying involves all other values. Caring involves desire motivation, inclination. Genuinely caring can be a magical experience. Caring is the heart of ethics. To care for another person, in the most significant t sense, is to grow and actualize himself. People who consider ethical and yet lack a caring attitude towards individuals tend to treat others as instruments of their will. They rarely feel an obligation to be honest. Loyal, or fair respectful except insofar as it is prudent for them to do so.
We come across several occasions when we required to extend a helping hand to others who are less fortunate than us or are in need of help due to bad circumstances. Sharing is one of a noble act of mankind and high virtue. Sharing with others should be a part of human nature and life. At one time or the other we need to share things with others. Sharing could be in the form of money, food material, book, knowledge, time, thoughts, happiness, sorrow, and work. If we will share with others, they will share with us, sharing begets sharing. But we should not keep in mind while sharing with the others. Sharing should be the motto of good help. We should not look at the person we are sharing with it show our gesture or expect thanks in return. Sometimes we don’t get a few words or thanks even from those with home we share our valuable time or work either because of their negligence, forgetfulness.
Every individual when grown up has to perform one or other duty, not only for his liver hood but even for the betterment of national and social conditions. We may say commitment starts right from student days. A student has to be committed to studying not only as a matter of routine but with devotion if he wants to secure high grades and win ranks and medals. So, is the case with a teacher, if he is not committed to his profession he cannot be a good teacher. He has to devote his time for referring books and preparing notes. He has to be punctual, loving his profession, develop a liking for students, be fair and impartial, and imbibe discipline in and outside the classroom. He should set for himself and impress upon the students high moral standards. A soldier if not committed to his duties, policeman not performing his duties properly, a clerk, an officer, a bus driver, a business man, take any person not doing his work diligently is not committed to his duties.
All people must learn to think of their time and their subordinate’s time as a very valuable resource, for time is money. Time is a resource that is unique in that it cannot be accumulated or stored like money. We forced to use the time whether we can use it effectively or not. It cannot be turned on and off like equipment or used by someone else. But, like other resources it may be effectively or ineffectively managed and it can be controlled. Time management is the rational way to ensure that our limited time is always used effectively. Since the time cannot be stopped or it cannot be saved up for further use, therefore, the every minute of our life time should be effectively planned and used. Some of the time wasting process are poor delegation, too much socializing, in effective communication and poorly organized supervision.
Ethics is an activity and an area of inquiry. It is the activity of understanding moral values, resolving moral issues and justifying moral judgments as well as the discipline or area of study resulting from the activity. In past few years, has led engineers to be increasingly aware of their professional responsibilities. These causes have led to an awareness of the importance of ethics within the engineering profession as engineers realize how their technical work has far-reaching impact on society. Engineering ethics is an activity and discipline aimed at understanding the moral values that ought to guide engineering practice, resolving moral issues in engineering and justifying moral judgments concerning engineering. It senses to the set of specifically moral problems and issues related to engineering. Engineering ethics would therefore be the currently accepted, codes and standards of conduct endorsed by various groups engineer and engineering societies.
The profession as a whole has to be consistent and be able to relate values to practice. Without this, recognition of the profession as a body of experts concerned for public welfare will be eroded, and with that will go whatever is essential to the functioning of any professional relationship. The existence of an institution of professionals is essential for a development and maintenance of professional virtues. It enables the individuals’ professional to reflect upon his own integrity and to learn from the experience of others, transmitting the culture from generation to generation. It provides an external perspective which enables proper reflection and responsibility. The professional institution must avoid the moral ambiguity of acting as a body protecting the interests of its individual members such as a trade union or trade association. It must be concerned with ensuring the highest standards of professional service to the community by regulating standards and criteria for membership. The institution should ensure sound practice by all its members.
Deontology is the study of the nature of duty and obligations. Deontological theories see good as something that is self-evident and can be summed up in general rules which apply to all. In this theory, the action of killing is always wrong. It breaks the basic rule of respect for life. Moral good is discovered through reasoned reflection. This approach is concerned primarily with the quality of an action, with the means of achieving a desired end. This approach has more of a religious undertone. The deontological theories assume the reasonableness of human beings. They are capable of seeing what is good. Ironically, deontological theories rely upon consequentiality considerations to justify themselves. Respect for life, for instance is justified ultimately by the survival of the self, the community, and even the species.
The time available for men to spend in a day is twenty four hours. However a grown up man spends one third of his time for sleeping. And he leaves his remaining 16 hours for working. More or less 50% of this working time i.e., 8 hours is used for special purpose. While this is the time budget of an ordinary person, people more than average standard make up or utilize more hours for work. Because for them time is money, work is money or in other words money earned is time well spent. Also it is observed that the secret of all success full people is that they are good at the time management. Thus the time is measure of one’s usefulness and success. It is a moral value. Hard working people have no time for chit-chat, for rest, for recreation. Work and greater work is their makeup. Life itself is the work of them.