Introduction to Ethics and Integrity Mgr. Tomáš Foltýnek, Ph.D. foltynek@fi.muni.cz 1 Image generated by Midjourney Ethics and Information technology Ethics ̶ A philosophical discipline that examines morality and moral values ̶ A debate about what is / should be right ̶ Explores the principles of decision making in situations amenable to free will ̶ From Greek éthos = morality, custom 2Ethics and Information technology Morality ̶ Individual morality = a set of beliefs and attitudes about what is right ̶ Moral = in accordance with conscience ̶ Conscience= the ability to know the good and to be reminded of that knowledge ̶ Members of a group share similar experiences ̶ Group morality = social consensus about what is right ̶ The question "What is right?" may have different answers from the perspective of different actors ̶ There are often conflicts between individual and group morality 3Ethics and Information technology Ethics, Morality, Law ̶ Ethics = conscious search for the good ̶ Philosophical conception of the good ̶ Morality = the sum of ideas about the good already found ̶ Social consensus on what constitutes the good ̶ Ideological conception of the good ̶ Self-preservation of the human community ̶ These ideas are codified ̶ Conventions, etiquette = agreed rules of conduct ̶ Law = necessary good to maintain the function of formal organization ̶ Order, a set of enforceable rules and regulations 4Ethics and Information technology Ethical Paradigms ̶ Descriptive ethics describes the moral values within society ̶ Normative ethics seeks to determine what conduct should be moral ̶ Deals with rights, duties and values ̶ Applied ethics answers specific questions ̶ Medical ethics, bioethics, journalistic ethics, ethics in IT... ̶ The boundary between normative and applied ethics is not sharp 5Ethics and Information technology A Thought Experiment ̶ Trolley problem ̶ An uncontrolled tram hurtling down the tracks ̶ Do nothing and let the tram kill 5 people ̶ Change the switch and take responsibility for the death of 1 person 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem#/media/File:Trolley_Problem.svg  Me Ethics and Information technology A Thought Experiment ̶ Is it right to sacrifice 1 person to save 5 people? ̶ A doctor has 5 patients he can save with a transplant ̶ each patient needs a different organ ̶ Is it right to kill one person and use their organs? ̶ suppose100% transplant success rate 7Ethics and Information technology Moral Dilemma ̶ It is a situation requiring a choice between options, each of which implies acting contrary to moral values ̶ Typically, the options conflict with different values ̶ Resolving the dilemma requires consideration of the relative importance of these values ̶ Finding a way out of a moral dilemma ̶ Rational discussion, argumentation ̶ Identification of the values in conflict ̶ Consideration of consequences ̶ Consideration of (preferably all) circumstances 8Ethics and Information technology Trolley Problem Variations ̶ Do nothing, or change the switch? ̶ 5 people: sprayers who climbed over the fence (should not be there) ̶ 1 person: a worker repairing the tracks, father of 4, breadwinner. ̶ Plus, we assured him beforehand that the switch was changed and he was safe. ̶ And what if one of the sprayers is our best friend/relative? ̶ A mass murderer gives us a choice: Kill one person or I kill five. ̶ What circumstances (and consideration of them) matter? 9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem#/media/File:Trolley_Problem.svg Ethics and Information technology Trolley Problem and Values in Conflict Kill Let die Death of one person Death of five people Death of a young person Death of an old person Death of a loved one Death of a stranger Guilt Right to survive Deflect an existing threat towards lesser harm Create a new threat (albeit with less damage) Do nothing Affect the course of events Do something with something Do something with someone 10Ethics and Information technology Ethical Theories How to Recognize what is Moral? ̶ Deontology ̶ Establishment of non-negotiable rules and obligations ̶ Consequentialism ̶ Only the consequences of actions are relevant in assessing a situation ̶ Virtue ethics ̶ Moral character of the individual ̶ Social contract theory ̶ Rules for functioning within society 11Ethics and Information technology Deontology ̶ Unbreakable rules set by a specific authority ̶ Rights and obligations ̶ Deals with the act as such ̶ The theory of divine commandments ̶ Morality is what follows from the divine commandments ̶ Cultural relativism, influenced by interpretation ̶ Kant's categorical imperative ̶ Use no one as a means to an end ̶ The maxima (=highest principle) of every act must be attainable ̶ Golden Rule: If everyone behaved in this way, the goal of the act would remain attainable 12Ethics and Information technology Consequentialism ̶ The only determining factor is the (long-term) consequences of the act ̶ Different theories differ on how to compare the consequences ̶ Utilitarianism: Maximizing utility and minimizing suffering ̶ How to define and measure utility? ̶ Happiness, satisfaction, pleasure, preferences, objective values... ̶ The distribution of wellfare in society also plays a role ̶ Other theories: Egoism, altruism,... ̶ Consequentialism ignores intention 13Ethics and Information technology Virtue Ethics ̶ It evaluates actions according to how a virtuous individual would act in a given situation ̶ So the standard is the agent of the act. ̶ Aristotle, Plato: Morality comes from the inner strength of the will, all external consequences are secondary 14Ethics and Information technology Moral Values and Virtues ̶ Moral values = principles and standards accepted by groups or individuals that help distinguish right from wrong ̶ Virtue = a morally good quality ̶ A cultivated and habituated tendency to act well ̶ The opposite is vice = a morally bad trait ̶ Also a bad or reprehensible habit ̶ Values/virtues according to the MUNI Code of Ethics ̶ Freedom and responsibility, moral and academic integrity, decency and respect ̶ Plurality of opinion, intellectual honesty, critical thinking, mutual respect ̶ Objectivity, impartiality, education, rationality, openness, quality, transparency, ̶ EC also mentions "vices": bullying, abuse, discrimination, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification 15Ethics and Information technology Social Contract Theory ̶ Enlightenment - the rules of functioning of a (democratic) society ̶ Rules of interaction in human society ̶ Rational individuals choose to accept ̶ benefits to the individual and to society as a whole ̶ equal opportunities for all ̶ Absolute vs. limited rights ̶ Absolute is e.g. the right to life ̶ Limited is e.g. the right to education (depends on the capacity of society) ̶ Positive vs. negative rights ̶ Positive = I can demand (e.g. health care) ̶ Thus, it must be determined who has the obligation to ensure that my right is fulfilled ̶ Negative = others cannot prevent me (life, freedom of expression) 16Ethics and Information technology Moral Machine ̶ The moral dilemmas of an autonomous vehicle programmer ̶ https://www.moralmachine.net/ ̶ Based on the trolley problem ̶ Do nothing and let the tram kill 5 people ̶ Change the switch and take responsibility for the death of 1 person 17 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem#/media/File:Trolley_Problem.svg Ethics and Information technology Global Preference Survey ̶ Millions of people from 233 countries ̶ 40 million decisions in moral dilemmas ̶ Study published in Nature ̶ The division of the world into three cultural clusters: West, East, South 18Ethics and Information technology Cultural Clusters: West, East, South 19Ethics and Information technology Save the Young, or the Old? 20Ethics and Information technology Save More Lives? 21Ethics and Information technology Save Pedestrians, or Passengers? 22Ethics and Information technology Consequences? 23 For law-makers For manufacturers For customers For pedestrians For the drivers of other cars Ethics and Information technology Bridging the Cultural Differences ̶ What values are universally valid in a globalised world? ̶ See Universal Declaration of Human Rights 24Ethics and Information technology Dilemma Game ̶ Designed at Erasmus University Rotterdam ̶ Paper version and app for Android and iPhone ̶ Originally designed for teaching research integrity ̶ Description of the situation and four possible outcomes ̶ Each player chooses one option ̶ Discussion of the reasons for the decision ̶ During the discussion, players can change their decision 25Ethics and Information technology Dilemma Game: Trolley Problem I am a programmer in a company that develops systems for autonomous cars. I have to program a system that will determine how the car will behave in the event of an unforeseen event. However, I have no say in this myself, as the whole system has gone through an extensive approval process involving many ethics committees from various international institutions. However, I am aware that it will still be me who will put the system into operation. What should I do? A. I will not deal with the ethics of the system, I do not feel responsible for the behavior of the system because it was decided without my intervention. B. I will learn in detail about the approval process, raise relevant questions and objections, but I will do the work even if my objections are rejected. C. I will learn about the approval process in detail, raise relevant questions and objections, and if the answers are unsatisfactory and my objections are not addressed, I will refuse to do the job, ask to be reassigned or quit. D. Since I don't want to bear that moral burden, I will ask for reassignment or quit. Ethics and Information technology 26