Internet Ethics
Abstract: This paper takes a look at basic ethics in relation to the Internet. By tracing the development of the Internet, it identifies perils of the World Wide Web and their moral significance to a culture trying to move successfully into the twenty-first century.
As scientists travel into the future, they are lead by ambition, imagination, and genius. In their quest to find uses for their rapidly expanding knowledge they often leave behind their morals. Failing to carefully consider the possible paths their research will follow, scientist often find that they have gone too far with out realizing it. Their creations exceed their expectations. When faced with this situation it is up to the scientist to decide how to handle these powerful and unexpected new findings. Weighing the benefits against the dangers of the new possibilities, he must decide which outweighs the other. Publication and production of the new piece of technology could easily lead to even more advanced or dangerous findings down the line. It is up to scientists to take responsibility for their work and its results.
The ability to handle this responsibility involves the establishment of concrete ethical codes which a scientist can apply to his research. Ethics are moral standards on which people base their lives by using them in decision making. Because they will never be agreed on by all the members of a society, complicated arguments arise around all issues. In science they address ways in which the world should handle its discoveries. Each branch of science has followed a steady path of progression over its years of development. As it has lengthened with time, the paths have widened with information. This is th...
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...d look at changing technology. Using moral codes and a system such as the "Slippery Slope" it is easy to analyze an issue, weighing its benefits and drawbacks. This analization will lead to the more responsible use of knowledge and its application to the world.
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Richard Russo's "Dog" and Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" are stories that illustrate the negative impacts parents sometimes have on their children and the unintended consequences that occur as a result of their parenting. In "Dog," Henry Devereaux grows into an adult who has difficulty connecting emotionally with others, a man who is not easy, and though entertaining, is not comforting. In "Two Kinds," Jing-mei was a failure many times over in her mother's eyes, finally dropping out of college and only accepting of herself later in life.
O'Meara is more successful than Turner at utilizing ethos in order to validate his arguments. One way in which to establish ethos is by recounting personal experiences. O'Meara's article in fact opens with a very powerful anecdote; reminiscing about the first time he ever held a gun. He vividly descri...
The story of several schoolmates who symbolize a generation destroyed by the dehumanisation of the First World War, All Quiet on the Western Front tells of the men who died, and the tragically changed lives of those who survived. Remarque follows the story of Paul Bäumer, a young infantryman, from his last days of school to his death three years later. Whereas the journey motif is typically used to portray a positive character development, that of Paul is deliberately the opposite. In what has been dubbed the greatest antiwar novel of all time, Remarque depicts the way in which Paul is snatched away from humanity by the brutality of war. However while Paul and his comrades become separated from society, and begin to rely on their basic survival instincts, in their own surroundings they still show humane qualities such as compassion, camaraderie, support and remorse. Paul’s transformation from human to soldier begins in training camp, and is reinforced by the trauma at the front. His return home further alienates him from society, and Paul begins to feel safe at the front with his friends. Nonetheless throughout the novel suffering and mortality bare Paul’s true side, and he momentarily regains his former self. Bäumer, the German word for tree, is an early indication that Paul must remain firmly rooted in reality to survive the brutality of war.
In "Two Kinds," Jing-Mei struggles with the plans her mother forces on her and the path she wants to create for herself. She spends her entire childhood doing everything her mother makes her, so that she can become a prodigy. Her mother has her take tests, classes, and learn skills she does not want to just so she can be successful. As a result, Jing-Mei rebels by not paying attention during her studies or by not attempting the quizzes. She spends her entire childhood being mediocre to the point she does not really know how to try when she wants to. It takes her until her mother dies just to find closure. By that point she had not even been rebelling it was just forced into her character. Luis and Jing-Mei might have rebelled for different reasons, but the reasons for their parents to push them were incredibly similar.
Imagine being in an ongoing battle where friends and others are dying. All that is heard are bullets being shot, it smells like gas is near, and hearts race as the times goes by. This is similar to what war is like. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator, Paul Baumer, and his friends encounter the ideals of suffering, death, pain, and despair. There is a huge change in these men; at the beginning of the novel they are enthusiastic about going into the war. After they see what war is really like, they do not feel the same way about it. During the war the men experience many feelings especially the loss of loved ones. These feelings are shown through their first experience at training camp, during the actual battles, and in the hospital.
his aunt ran over to him and asked him why he was not going to Jesus. She knelt there and prayed for him. Langston sat there waiting for something to happen, but nothing! He truly wanted to see Jesus but he did not. Finally, he thought to himself and saw that nothing had happened to Westley for lying about not seeing Jesus. Langston then decides that he, too, will go to the altar and lie, hoping that nothing will happen to him for lying to God. Suddenly, loud cries of rejoice were heard throughout the church and everyone was pleased to see that “all the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God” (220). That night Langston cried because he did not understand why he did not see Jesus. His aunt had heard him and explained to his uncle, “the Holy Ghost had come into my life” (220). From that point on he did not believe there was a Jesus, since he d...
Atwood takes many of today’s potential scientific developments and illustrates the worst possible outcome of what may happen if we continue the unregulated pursuit of knowledge. In reality, the scientific advances of today will yield a higher standard of living for the majority of the world tomorrow. We will continue to push for the best in everything including science, medicine, and technology; we will not allow any single person to make the sole decision to develop an idea. Scientific progression will save many lives; therefore, it should and will always be there for us.
One of the worst things about war is the severity of carnage that it bestows upon mankind. Men are killed by the millions in the worst ways imaginable. Bodies are blown apart, limbs are cracked and torn and flesh is melted away from the bone. Dying eyes watch as internal organs are spilled of empty cavities, naked torso are hung in trees and men are forced to run on stumps when their feet are blown off. Along with the horrific deaths that accompany war, the injuries often outnumber dead men. As Paul Baumer witnessed in the hospital, the injuries were terrifying and often led to death. His turmoil is expressed in the lines, “Day after day goes by with pain and fear, groans and death gurgles. Even the death room I no use anymore; it is too small.” The men who make it through the war take with them mental and physical scarification from their experiences.
He believed that since they were older and had more knowledge “they ought to know” ( Hughes, para. 2 ) the events that would occur during the religious revival, thus he presumed his aunt spoke the truth. As children, they were taught to trust and respect their elders, thus, Langston in his younger years followed the orders of his aunt; the lies fed to him in his adolescent years destroyed his virtues. He was disappointed and “ashamed” ( Hughes para. 11 ) once he recognized that Jesus would not reveal himself. His disappointment conveyed the parallelism and repetition of “nothing” ( Hughes para. 7 ). Specifically when he realized that “nothing happened” ( Hughes para. 7 ) during the religious revival he started to doubt himself and reflect how foolish his actions were. The shift in the narrative emphasized that he no longer believed in his religious salvation and punishment for his sins. He “got up” ( Hughes para. 12 ) from his placement in his sins while the rest of the children had confirmed so easily; Hughes could not understand the figurative language of the salvation. Hughes expected to physically see Jesus because of the adults in his life have enlightened him that he would, although they manipulated him to believe he would be
Ethics of technology is one important aspect of ethics and is required to answer all the ethical questions which are specific to the technological age. Ethics of technology can also be defined as “Cyber-ethics”. The main reason for the existence of cyber-ethics is to examine the impact that cyber related crimes has for our social, legal and moral systems. Cyber ethics can also help us in calculating the social policies and laws that we frame with respect to issues...
...here is always a new discovery to be made. Although each of them may have benefits, are they all worth the time. There needs to be balance. Everybody needs to remember the things that are truly important: communication, love, and individuality. The list goes on. Science and technology may provide miraculous breakthroughs every once in a while, but sometimes it leads everybody down a dark road. Each and every individual must come together as a whole, in order to determine where the line needs to be drawn.
This essay will show that ethical considerations do limit the production of knowledge in both art and natural sciences and that such kind of limitations are present to a higher extent in the natural sciences.
In the early years of computers and computerized technology, computer engineers had to believe that their contribution to the development of computer technology would produce positive impacts on the people that would use it. During the infancy of computer technology, ethical issues concerning computer technology were almost nonexistent because computers back then were not as multifaceted as they are today. However, ethical issues relating to computer technology and cyber technology is undeniable in today’s society. Computer technology plays a crucial role in all aspects of our daily lives. Different forms of computer technology provide unique functionalities that allow people to perform daily activities effectively and efficiently. In modern society, we use computer and cyber technology to communicate with friends and family via social networking sites, participate in business transactions, and get current news. Different tasks require unique technological feature in computer technology to function properly. Although, unique technological features increase people’s proficiency in accomplishing various tasks, unique technological features in computer and cyber technology increase security vulnerabilities. In many cases, the security vulnerabilities in computer technology are exploited by cybercriminals to invade people’s privacy, and steal people’s identity. We know that computers have no moral compass; they cannot make moral decisions for themselves. Essentially, people make moral decisions that affect others positively or negatively depending on how they use computer technology. Some of the biggest ethical issues facing people in the computing environment include privacy concerns on the web and identity theft. Privacy concerns...
Gould, Carol C. (ed.) (1989). The Information Web: Ethical and Social Implications of Computer Networking. (Boulder, Colorado : Westview Press).
Each of us lives with a modern paradox; how can we continue to enjoy the benefits of science and avoid the threat of its misuse or abuse to endanger life and nature? Responses to this paradox have been many, but seldom anything but emotional and impotent in making any useful changes. Among the strongest feelings brought forth by our increasing awareness of the negative side effects of technology has been the feeling of alienation that we in society have little or no control over the impacts of science and technology on those of us who are supposed to be their beneficiaries. We owe much to science. In fact, modern life would be unthinkable without it.