The Tavani Bibliography of Computing, Ethics, and Social Responsibility

COMPLETE TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

Using the Bibliography

Section I. GENERAL REFERENCES

    Many of the books and articles of general interest cited in this section do not fit neatly into any one of the sections that follow. Most books selected for inclusion in Section 1.1.1 examine a wide range of ethical and social issues in computers and technology, or they offer a thematic approach to or analysis of one or more of those issues. A select list of articles and papers of general interest is included in Section 1.1.2 Important works that focus on or more specific issues such as professional responsibility, computers and privacy, intellectual property, computer crime, teaching courses in computers, ethics and society, etc., are cited in relevant sections of Parts II through V.

Section II. TEACHING COURSES IN COMPUTERS, ETHICS, AND SOCIETY

    Section 2.1.1 identifies current textbooks that can be used in computers, ethics, and society courses. A select list of contemporary and classic books that can serve either as supplementary course texts or as useful background reading for course preparation is included in Section 2.1.2. This section lists some older textbooks as well as many works which have come to be regarded as classic texts in computers, ethics, and society. Although some of the sources cited in Section 2.1.2 are out of print, most are still available in libraries. Instructors may find some older textbooks--especially those which contain classic readings that are not available in current anthologies--useful in preparing and revising courses in computers, ethics and society. Sources identifying additional teaching resources such as curriculum reports, course syllabi, doctoral dissertations, papers presented at professional conferences and seminars, and video programs designed for teaching courses in computer, ethics, and society are listed in Section 2.1.3.     Section 2.2.1 includes a select list of sources on philosophical ethics and ethical theory. Instructors interested in using a theoretical framework to discuss ethical issues in computing may wish to examine some of the works cited in this section. Section 2.2.2 lists sources that focus on applying ethical theory -- i.e., integrating theory with practice. Sources that examine the application of ethical theory to some of the broader or more general issues in computers and information technology are identified in Section 2.2.3. (Works that examine the application of theory to specific ethical issues in the use of computers, however, are cited in the appropriate sections of Part IV.)

Section III. ETHICAL ISSUES FOR COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS

    Works cited in Section 3.1.1 focus on professional ethics in general and ethical issues in the computer profession in particular. Professional organizations concerned with ethical and social issues in computing are listed in Section 3.1.2. Sources in this section also identify specific ethical codes adopted by various professional organizations. Entries concerned with interpreting and assessing those professional codes are included in Section 3.1.3.
    Section 3.2.1 lists sources that focus on ethical issues in the engineering profession, while Section 3.3.2 identifies sources that examine ethical issues for professionals involved in communicating information on computer systems to end users. (Although this latter topic is not usually addressed in the standard computer ethics texts, at least not as a separate category, I believe that ethical issues affecting the accuracy and completeness of technical information for computer users deserves much closer attention than it has thus far received.) Works cited in Section 3.2.3 consider issues of professional responsibility with respect to "risks" in computing. Risks identified in this section include computer use affecting public safety and health as well as issues associated with computerized weapons designed for use in conventional and nuclear warfare. The question of professional responsibility for "blowing the whistle" is also considered in some of the sources listed in this section. Works dealing with professional responsibility from the point of view of legal liability for unreliable computer systems are cited in Section 3.2.4.

Section IV. ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS

    Section 4.1.1 lists sources that raise ethical and social issues in artificial or virtual reality (VR). (While this topic has not received widespread treatment in the computer ethics literature, I believe that ethical issues arising from the use of VR technology warrant careful examination.) Section 4.1.2 includes sources that identify moral issues in artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems. Although several of the entries in this section have come to be identified with theoretical aspects of symbolic AI, neural networks, and expert systems, these sources also address many ethical and social concerns that arise out of AI. For example, some of these works address the question whether the goals of AI are "proper" or ethical. Other works raise questions about the locus of moral responsibility for decisions made by expert systems. Sources that examine AI and expert systems from the vantagepoints of robotics, income, and employment are listed in Section 4.1.3.     Section 4.2.1 identifies sources concerned with the impact of computers in the contemporary workplace. Sources in this section examine ways in which work in the information era has been transformed--i.e., with respect to the number and kinds of jobs (e.g., "telework" and the "electronic cottage industry") that have resulted from the use of computers and information technology. Section 4.2.2 includes sources that focus on the quality of worklife in the computerized workplace. Some works cited in this section examine issues associated with the "electronic sweatshop." (Sources that focus on the various health hazards and medical injuries associated with computers and work are included in Section 4.2.1, which considers broader "quality of life" issues related to computers.) Section 4.2.3 lists sources concerned with ethical and social issues related to the use of computers to monitor employees.     Section 4.3.1 lists sources that examine some of the philosophical assumptions and foundations underlying individual or personal privacy and that consider ways in which personal privacy is threatened by computers and information technology. Works that examine court cases and recent privacy legislation as well as national and international efforts to regulate the transfer of personal data are cited in Section 4.3.2. Section 4.3.3 lists sources that address public concern over privacy issues related to the use of computer databases in the commercial sector. In particular, issues regarding the accuracy of, access to, and the sale of personal information are considered in the entries listed in this section. Section 4.3.4 identifies sources that approach the issue of privacy and computers from the point of view of government attempts at social control. Sources that focus on issues of computerized record matching, electronic surveillance, and encryption technologies are identified in this section.     Section 4.4.1 identifies sources that focus on issues related to computers and social equity. The impact of computer technology on the poor (or "have-nots"), racial minorities, and third world nations are examined in works cited in this section. Sources that consider gender issues related to the use of computers and information technology are listed in Section 4.4.2. Section 4.4.3 includes entries that look at social and ethical issues associated with computers and education. Sources that focus on ways in which computers have been used and abused in politics and political elections are listed in Section 4.4.4.     Section 4.5.1 lists sources that examine the nature of computer crime and the profile of the computer criminal. Works that focus on issues related to hacking, "cracking," "hacker ethics," and "hacker's rights" are cited in Section 4.5.2. Entries in this section also examine issues related to computer security. Section 4.5.3 includes a list of works that address ethical and social issues associated with computer "viruses" and related forms of computer sabotage. Works cited in Section 4.5.4 focus on issues associated with software piracy.
    Works cited in Section 4.6.1 examine the nature of intellectual property rights and consider ways in which such rights can be extended to the ownership of electronic information. Section 4.6.2 includes sources that examine legal issues--e.g., recent court cases and judicial decisions, copyright laws, and patent protection--pertaining to ownership of electronic information. Works that examine some of the controversies related to the future of electronic books, electronic journals, and other online publications are cited in Section 4.6.3.     Section 4.7.1 identifies sources that address proposals and plans for designing a National and a Global Information Infrastructure--an NII and a GII. Section 4.7.2 includes sources that examine the social impact of some of those proposals and policies. Sources addressing issues related to control, access, and social equity in cyberspace are contained in this section. Section 4.7.3 lists sources that address ethical and legal issues related to cyberspace and the NII. Sources concerned with issues related to rights, responsibility, and accountability on the internet or "information superhighway" are listed in this section. Sources focusing on issues related to democracy and civil liberties in cyberspace are included in Section 4.7.4. Also listed in this section are some classic works on topics of free speech and liberty by authors such as John Milton, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill. Recent articles from Time and Newsweek are also listed along side the more "scholarly" works. Many articles from these two popular magazines--especially those written by Philip Elmer-Dewitt and Steven Levy--have been anthologized in Computer Ethics and Computers & Society textbooks.

Section V. THE FUTURE OF COMPUTING AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE

    Section 5 identifies sources that address a broad range of issues pertaining to the impact of computers on the quality of human life. Works that consider issues related to technological productivity and progress are cited in Section 5.1.1. Sources concerned with issues related to human-computer interaction and human-computer dependency are listed in Section 5.1.2, while Section 5.1.3 contains sources that examine issues related to computer use in health services and human services. Some works cited in the latter section look at ways in which computers are used to assist disabled persons. (Sources that focus on "quality" issues in the computerized workplace, on the other hand, are included in 4.2.2.)     Works cited in Section 5.2.1, many of which focus on the social impact of ENIAC, offer a retrospective look at the first fifty years of computing. Section 5.2.2 includes a list of sources that speculate on the future of computer technology and its implications for society. Both utopian and dysutopian projections are put forth. Entries in Section 5.2.3 examine issues related to professional and social responsibility in designing future computer systems.

Section VI. APPENDIX

    Appendix A identifies and annotates twenty comprehensive bibliographic sources related to computing, ethics and social responsibility. Some works cited in this appendix are dedicated bibliographies, while others are bibliographic supplements included in textbooks.

ADDENDUM / UPDATE

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Acknowledgments

Many of the entries included in this bibliography also appear in "A ComputerEthics Bibliography," published in several installments in Computers andSociety. I am grateful to the editors of that journal, especially BruceJawer and Tom Jewett, and to ACM/SIGCASfor permission to reprint sections of that bibliography. I am also gratefulto Marsha Woodbury and Susan Evoy of CPSRfor their helpful suggestions and assistance in getting this bibliographyto print. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to those studentsat Rivier College who, in their research projects, provided me with referencesI otherwise might not have encountered.

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About the Author

Herman Tavani (Ph.D., Temple University) is Associate Professor of Philosophy,Chair of the Philosophy Department, and Director of the Liberal StudiesProgram at Rivier College. He is past president of the Northern New EnglandPhilosophical Association and currently a visiting scholar (in appliedethics) at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has worked as a softwaretechnical writer and documentation supervisor in the computer industryand is currently Associate Editor of Computers and Society. He maybe reached at htavani@rivier.edu

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