As the desire to improve managing information and the ability to access information anywhere at any time globally increases, the technological means to accommodate these needs become more and more of a reality. Last April, Google announced its latest development called Project Glass. Google most recently sold a limited number of the "Explorer" version of Glass to any U.S. resident who places an online order for the device. Its goal is to build a wearable computer that delivers information to you through a head-up display used on the go as well delivering that information immediately. With this in mind, Glass will revolutionize the way its users will operate both functionally and socially. Not only can a user share passing moment’s hands free with the people they love via SMS, photos, and videos; users in their professional fields that work with their hands will forge new uses with this tool. There is, however, strong opposition against this latest technology. A recent study by market research firm Toluna found that roughly 72% of those surveyed said they wouldn't wear Google Glass because of privacy and security concerns. In addition, Studies conducted over a period of 30 years reviewed by Legal scholar David Shenk ,points out the many symptoms resulting from information overload caused by technology include stress and fatigue to just to name a few. Although the general public may have legitimate ethical concerns about public privacy and information overload, the benefits are still outweighed by the social and functional benefits.
This argumentative essay considers whether or not Google Glass is good for us by responding to the following questions from utilitarianism and human rights ethical lens point of views:
1. Will Google Gl...
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...y providing social and functional benefits that outweigh the minor issues of privacy and information overload.
Works Cited
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Loomis, J.M., R.G. Golledge, and R.L. Klatzky. 2001. GPS-based navigation systems for the visually impaired. In Fundamentals of wearable computers and augmented reality, W. Barfield and T. Caudell, eds. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Shenk,David Data Smog: Surviving the Information Glut (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997)
Velasquez, Manuel, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, and Michael J. Meyer. "Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics." Calculating Consequences: The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
The anti-social behaviour act was made in 2003. The reason for why this was made was to make the rules of anti-social behaviour better and work more efficient also to do the same with the fixed penalty notices. The rules of this act is no one that is under the age of 16 is allowed to buy spray paint due to graffiti on private properties, no group of teenagers are allowed to do anything wrong to the public and also no public drunkenness which can lead to people disturbing the peace. An example for this could be the ASBO’s.
The personal connection Americans have with their phones, tablets, and computers; and the rising popularity of online shopping and social websites due to the massive influence the social media has on Americans, it is clear why this generation is called the Information Age, also known as Digital Age. With the Internet being a huge part of our lives, more and more personal data is being made available, because of our ever-increasing dependence and use of the Internet on our phones, tablets, and computers. Some corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook; governments, and other third parties have been tracking our internet use and acquiring data in order to provide personalized services and advertisements for consumers. Many American such as Nicholas Carr who wrote the article “Tracking Is an Assault on Liberty, With Real Dangers,” Anil Dagar who wrote the article “Internet, Economy and Privacy,” and Grace Nasri who wrote the article “Why Consumers are Increasingly Willing to Trade Data for Personalization,” believe that the continuing loss of personal privacy may lead us as a society to devalue the concept of privacy and see privacy as outdated and unimportant. Privacy is dead and corporations, governments, and third parties murdered it for their personal gain not for the interest of the public as they claim. There are more disadvantages than advantages on letting corporations, governments, and third parties track and acquire data to personalized services and advertisements for us.
Examining the case with the Utilitarian mindset, we consider the overall positivity of the action vs the positivity of the alternative. In this case, what is the measure
Nineteenth century British philosophers, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill sum up their theory of Utilitarianism, or the “principle of utility,” which is defined as, “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Munson, 2012, p. 863). This theory’s main focus is to observe the consequences of an action(s), rather than the action itself. The utility, or usef...
Human beings are confronted with numerous issues throughout his or her lifetime that would require him or her to examine the best action to take to avoid the damaging consequences. In most cases, individuals restrain his or her action to take into consideration the consequences that may lead to the right or wrong behavior. One’s ethical and moral standards are first learned at an early age from his or her culture, how he or she is raised, religious background, and social system. Scientifically, there are various ethical theories, such as the virtue theory, deontological ethics, and utilitarianism (Boylan, 2009). By understanding these theories one can compare, contrast and uncover the reasoning behind his or her ethical and moral standards.
Pojman, L. (2002). 6: Utilitarianism. Ethics: discovering right and wrong (pp. 104-113). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
The story of augmented reality goes back as far as the early 1900’s when L. Frank Baum wrote the “novel The Master Key. Printed in 1901, the book mentions a “character marker” set of electronic spectacles that when you view someone through them would show a letter on that person’s forehead regarding their character.” However, the first invention to use some type of augmented reality would not come along till 1968 and Ivan E. Sutherland and his head mounted three dimensional display. “The fundamental idea behind the three-dimensional display is to present the user with a perspective image which changes as he moves.” This would allow for an illusion of 3D on a 2D plane. This however, wasn’t true augmented reality; yes this augmented what you see on a screen and gave an illusion of 3 dimensions, but it does not overlay actual reality with com...
One of the major players in ethical theories has long been the concept of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism states that in general the ethical rightness or wrongness of an action is directly related to the utility of that action. Utility is more specifically defined as a measure of the goodness or badness of the consequences of an action (see quote by Mill above). For the purposes of this paper, Utility will be considered to be the tendency to produce happiness. There are two types of Utilitarianism; these are “act” and “rule”. An act utilitarian uses thought processes associated with utilitarianism (i.e. the principle of utility) to make all decisions, this requires a lot of thought and careful calculation. For example, an act utilitarian deciding from a list of possible day trips would sit down and calculate out the utility of each possible decision before coming to a conclusion as to which one was preferable. Contrary to an act utilitarian, a rule utilitarian uses the principles of utility to create a set of rules by which they live. Rule utilitarians are not incapable of calculating a decision; they just do not see a need to do it all the time. For example, a rule utilitarian might have some rules like this: in general do not kill, in general do not steal, in general do not lie; but if they found a situation that might except the rule they would do the cal...
Pettit, Philip. “Consequentialism.” A Companion to Ethics. Ed. Peter Singer. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 1991. 230-240. Print.
We have our own moral codes but our decisions are solely based on the impact of our perspective on the people’s welfare and happiness. Although it is in our perspective as utilitarian to decide what actions to make, the theory of utilitarianism has strengths and weaknesses.
Wearable computing is the next step to the computer revolutionary world. At MIThril lab, they are working on a wearable computer. Like a sleeveless winter coat or a sweater, they are working toward they goal. With the complicated project, they don’t know the finishing line yet. But with every step the MIThril team takes, they freely document and post on the web for worldwide access. The name MIThril derives from the fictional classic The Hobbit and Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. As comfortable and unnoticeable as the Dwarves’ ring-mail tunic, MIThril’s team promises our gifted society the future clothes of electronic.
Over time, the actions of mankind have been the victim of two vague labels, right and wrong. The criteria for these labels are not clearly defined, but they still seem to be the standard by which the actions of man are judged. There are some people that abide by a deontological view when it comes to judging the nature of actions; the deontological view holds that it is a person's intention that makes an action right or wrong. On the other hand there is the teleological view which holds that it is the result of an action is what makes that act right or wrong. In this essay I will be dealing with utilitarianism, a philosophical principle that holds a teleological view when it comes the nature of actions. To solely discuss utilitarianism is much too broad of topic and must be broken down, so I will discuss specifically quantitative utilitarianism as presented by Jeremy Bentham. In this essay I will present the argument of Bentham supporting his respective form of utilitarianism and I will give my critique of this argument along the way.
The basis of morality in utilitarianism is empirical, where shared experience helps determine what is the best way for society to act. The consequences of an action give you that experience. When faced with a decision, one should examine what the consequences of acting a certain way would be. In the case that the consequences benefit the greater good, than that is the course you should take. However, if the consequences of an action are bad, then you know that you should not take that route.
4. Unknown. Ethics. Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. 29th March 2004. http://cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/COEN288/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf
Technology has transformed the world. The ability to represent and process information digitally, including text, values, images, and sound, has allowed us to be more productive and to extend our intellect and understanding of life in this universe. The power of computing can improve the everyday aspect of life, both professionally and personally. Along with a variety of benefits, computers also generate a wide variety of ethical dilemmas, such as the digital divide, property rights, privacy, freedom of speech, and health-related issues associated with living a digital