IFSC 4210                               Midterm Exam             Name_______________________________

 

1.     What is the Categorical Imperative and why is it of interest to computer professionals?

 

2.  What is analogical reasoning and why does it appeal to hackers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  What are the “duties” that a computer professional owes an employer or client (name 4)?

4. A computer club at a university set up a listserv/discussion group to which any university student could subscribe and participate.   A  discussion of sexual behavior developed. One student briefly described a pornographic questionnaire that had been distributed among students. The questionnaire asked in graphic detail whether the individual would or would not do certain things on a first date. The student also announced that he had put the questionnaire on his personal website, and he gave to URL for anyone who wanted to see the questionnaire and participate in the survey . He warned those who might be offended that the questionnaire was crude. Several weeks  later, the student was called into the Dean of students’ office and threatened with expulsion. ANALYZE THE ETHICAL ISSUES INVOLVED BY RESPONDING BRIEFLY TO EACH STEP:

1. Identify the parties: name the people or groups involved and, if relevant, their position and relationship with each other.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Define the dilemma: a dilemma is a question about the "right-or-wrong"-ness of an act that has been performed or may be. This is usually phrased as a question.
   
   
   
   
3. Formulate the options: - all the options, including ones you disagree with. An option has two parts. First is an ethical interpretation of what has occurred and how the situation now stands. Second, there may be options as to what course of action to take.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Highlight the values: values are the principles and rights that create the dilemma and that we use to choose between options.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Prioritize values, select option, give rationale: weigh up conflicting values and decide which ones get precedence. Choose an option from those given above and explain why you choose that one and not another.

5. What constitutes a profession (identify five characteristics) and what prevents software engineering from being considered a profession?


6. Although computing is young ACM/IEEE have published 3 codes of ethics, 1972, 1992, and 2001.   What is evident in the changes in the organization and presentation of these codes?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

7. What is the distinction being made by the terms micro-ethics and macro-ethics?
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

8. Why is Subsumption an ethical concern?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

9. What is the weakness of the Engineering Model of applied ethics?


10.  Circle T or F  or the best choice in each case:
    T   F   a.  If an action is legal, it won’t affect my career or reputation if some others consider it unethical.
    T   F   b.  The risk in applying ethical values when trying to arrive at a defensible principled choice is failure to apply them appropriately.
    T   F   c.  Ethical situations involving alternatives that are neither completely right nor completely wrong are the most difficult to handle.
    T   F   d.  Ethical principles can give you reasons for behaving ethically in not only the situation being analyzed, but in other related situations.
    T   F   e.  Egoism is not an appropriate principle to determine an ethical decision because it is involved solely with one’s self.
    T   F   f.  In most ethical problem situations, stakeholders are limited to the group immediately affected.
    T   F   g.  When information is easier to access, it is less likely to be accessed.
    T   F   h.  It is legal to monitor a worker, even without that worker’s knowledge.
    T   F   i.  A defensible ethical decision cannot be reached using one’s beliefs and intuition alone.
    T   F   j.  Understanding an ethical problem when the situation involves computers requires us to know the details of the technology involved.
    T   F   k.  Scenarios such as used in the ACM Self-Assessment and at the beginning of each chapter in Johnson are examples of Narrative reasoning.

           l.  Because of the rapidly changing technology, people are facing more ethical dilemmas that
          have no answers          have little precedent      have long, rich histories
                      fit into simple categories              can be answered only by the clergy