Ethics In Computing, Science, And Engineering: A Student’s Guide To Doing Things Right

Foreword......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Contents......Page 16
About the Author......Page 24
1.1 Introduction......Page 25
1.2 The Technology Roller Coaster......Page 28
1.2.1 Predictive Modelling: Student Selection......Page 30
1.2.2 Control: Smart In-vehicle Technology......Page 32
1.3.1 Ethics by Instinct......Page 39
1.3.2 Ethics by Logic......Page 41
1.4 Ethics: What’s It All About?......Page 44
1.4.1 Ethics: So Many Questions—So Few Answers......Page 50
1.4.2 Deontological Theories......Page 54
1.4.3 Consequentialist Theories......Page 55
1.4.4 Theories and Motivations......Page 56
1.4.6 Social Contract Theory......Page 58
1.5 Ethics and Empathy......Page 61
1.6 Professional Ethics......Page 63
1.7 Ethical Responsibility......Page 68
1.8 Organisational Failures: Radiation Overdose......Page 72
1.8.1 The Misnomer of Technology Infallibility......Page 75
1.9 Discussion......Page 79
1.10 Additional Reading......Page 80
References......Page 81
2.1 Introduction......Page 83
2.2 Ethics and Organisations......Page 85
2.2.1 The Organisation and the Individual......Page 87
2.3 Ethics in Organisational Leadership......Page 93
2.3.1 Indicative Styles of Leadership......Page 95
2.3.2 Ethical Leadership Characteristics......Page 103
2.3.3 Benefits of Ethical Behaviours......Page 105
2.3.4 Ethically Based Behaviours: Why Bother?......Page 109
2.4 Ethics: When Technical Skills Are Not Enough......Page 111
2.5 Organisational Failures: Flight TK981......Page 115
2.5.1 The Cargo Door......Page 118
2.5.2 Correcting the Problem......Page 122
2.5.3 Who Really Knows?......Page 126
2.6 Discussion......Page 127
References......Page 131
3.1 Introduction......Page 133
3.2 Privacy......Page 138
3.2.1 The Nature of Privacy......Page 140
3.2.2 Privacy and Transparency......Page 146
3.2.3 The Right to Be Left Alone......Page 150
3.2.4 Privacy and Freedom......Page 151
3.2.5 Privacy Loss and Conformance......Page 155
3.2.6 Privacy and Self-realisation......Page 158
3.2.7 Privacy Loss to the Machine......Page 160
3.3 The Misnomer of Complete Security......Page 163
3.4 EULAs: Who Bothers to Read Them?......Page 168
3.5 The Stasi: A World of Surveillance......Page 174
3.5.1 Zersetzung: Gaslighting......Page 183
3.5.2 A More Enlightened World?......Page 184
3.6 On Being an ‘Other’......Page 186
3.6.1 The ‘Robbers Cave’ Experiment......Page 188
3.6.2 A Shocking Experiment......Page 189
3.6.3 Dealing with ‘Others’......Page 192
3.6.4 The Stanford Prison Experiment......Page 196
3.7 Edward Snowden: Hero or Villain?......Page 197
3.7.1 Fallout......Page 203
3.8 Organisational Failures: Challenger—STS-51-l......Page 207
3.8.1 Destruction......Page 208
3.8.2 The Technology......Page 209
3.8.3 Russian Roulette......Page 214
3.8.4 Human Factors......Page 216
3.8.5 Optimism and Realism: When Communication Fails......Page 218
3.9 Discussion......Page 222
3.10 Additional Reading......Page 228
References......Page 230
4.1 Introduction......Page 234
4.2 Surveillance and the Internet......Page 237
4.2.1 Direct User Activity......Page 238
4.2.2 Internet of Things Based Input......Page 242
4.2.3 Other Sources of Input......Page 245
4.3 Camera-Based Surveillance......Page 247
4.3.1 Traditional CCTV-Based Surveillance......Page 249
4.3.2 Smart Video Monitoring Systems......Page 256
4.3.3 Who Watches the Watchers?......Page 262
4.4 Biometrics......Page 264
4.4.1 Biometric Techniques......Page 265
4.4.2 General Considerations......Page 272
4.5 Augmented (Mixed) Reality......Page 277
4.6 Radio Frequency Identification Devices......Page 281
4.6.1 Friend or Foe?......Page 282
4.6.2 From Russia with Love......Page 284
4.6.3 Electronic Product Code......Page 286
4.7.1 Unknown Access......Page 288
4.7.2 Human Implantable Microchips (HIMs)......Page 291
4.8 Organisational Failures: Re-Writing Reality......Page 299
4.9 Discussion......Page 304
4.10 Additional Reading......Page 310
References......Page 311
5.1 Introduction......Page 316
5.2 The Evolution of the Internet and Web......Page 318
5.2.1 Internet: Putting the Pieces Together......Page 322
5.2.2 Spinning the Web......Page 326
5.2.3 Internet: From ‘Things’ to ‘Everything’......Page 327
5.2.4 Security: Opening Pandora’s Box......Page 334
5.3 Internet Censorship......Page 336
5.3.1 Lady Chatterley Goes on Trial......Page 337
5.3.2 Diy Explosives......Page 338
5.3.3 Aspects of Censorship......Page 339
5.3.4 From free Expression to Repression......Page 342
5.3.5 Extremism and Technology......Page 348
5.3.6 Imposition of Internet Censorship......Page 352
5.4 The Evolution of Society......Page 355
5.5 Organisational Failures: The Imperial Fleet......Page 359
5.5.1 Background and Organisational Structure......Page 363
5.5.2 Working Against the Clock......Page 367
5.5.3 Christopher Thomson, Baron of Cardington......Page 372
5.5.4 When Time Runs Out: Let’s Trust in Luck......Page 375
5.5.5 The Fate of the R.100......Page 383
5.6 Discussion......Page 385
5.7 Additional Reading......Page 394
References......Page 395
6.1 Introduction......Page 398
6.2 The Product Lifecycle......Page 401
6.2.1 Product Inception Phase......Page 402
6.2.2 Product Realisation Phase......Page 404
6.2.3 Product Useful Phase......Page 407
6.2.4 Product Termination Phase......Page 408
6.3 Product Shipping......Page 427
6.4.1 The Demise of the Tin Lizzie......Page 433
6.4.2 The Phoebus Cartel......Page 437
6.4.3 A Slow Death......Page 438
6.4.4 Obsolescence and Recycling......Page 441
6.5 Product Repair......Page 442
6.6 Product Lifecycle and the IoT......Page 448
6.7 Human Obsolescence......Page 452
6.8 The Human Lifecycle......Page 459
6.9 Cloud Computing: Data Centres......Page 463
6.9.1 Powering the Internet......Page 465
6.9.2 The Use of Renewable Energy......Page 468
6.9.3 Is Renewable Energy Sustainable?......Page 475
6.9.4 The Brundtland Report: Sustainability......Page 479
6.10.1 Normalisation of Deviance......Page 483
6.10.2 Re-entry......Page 484
6.10.3 Not NASA’s Finest Hours......Page 485
6.10.4 The End of the Space Shuttle Programme......Page 491
6.11 Discussion......Page 495
6.12 Additional Reading......Page 505
References......Page 507
7.1 Introduction......Page 511
7.2 Terminology......Page 513
7.3 Drones: From the Early Days......Page 515
7.4 Non-military Applications......Page 523
7.4.1 Precision Agriculture......Page 525
7.4.2 Protection of Wildlife......Page 532
7.4.3 Border Security: A Reality Check......Page 541
7.5 Drones and the Military......Page 548
7.5.1 Lowering the Threshold......Page 553
7.5.2 Disassociation......Page 554
7.5.3 Stress and Trauma......Page 557
7.5.4 Asymmetric Warfare......Page 559
7.6 High Altitude Pseudo Satellites......Page 562
7.7 Lethal Autonomous Drones......Page 567
7.8 Organisational Failures: Erebus......Page 572
7.8.1 Pilot Error?......Page 574
7.8.2 The Path to Tragedy......Page 575
7.8.3 So Many Scars......Page 580
7.8.4 With the Passage of Time......Page 585
7.9 Discussion......Page 588
7.10 Additional Reading......Page 596
References......Page 597
8.1 Introduction......Page 601
8.2 On Robots and Paradoxes......Page 603
8.2.1 Capitalising on Key Human Attributes......Page 605
8.2.2 Outperforming the Human Species......Page 606
8.2.3 Valuing People and/or Technology......Page 607
8.3 Reflections on Aspects of Human Consciousness......Page 608
8.3.1 Do We Possess Free Will?......Page 622
8.3.2 Experiencing Death......Page 624
8.3.3 Conscious Awareness—And Its Simulation......Page 627
8.4 But What Is a Robot?......Page 629
8.5 With Whom, or With What, Am I Speaking?......Page 632
8.6 Humanoids......Page 635
8.6.1 The ELIZA Effect......Page 638
8.6.2 When There’s Money To Be Made......Page 642
8.7 Biobots......Page 643
8.8 Autonomous Motor Vehicles......Page 646
8.8.1 Autonomous General Purpose Vehicles......Page 649
8.8.2 From Hype to Reality......Page 661
8.8.3 Semi-autonomous Vehicles......Page 662
8.9 When a Robot is Given Your Job......Page 665
8.10 The Jekyll and Hyde Factor......Page 675
8.11 Organisational Failures: Air France Flight 447......Page 682
8.11.1 Too Much Automation......Page 688
8.12 Discussion......Page 691
8.13 Additional Reading......Page 701
References......Page 703
9.1 Introduction......Page 707
9.2 The ‘Alternative Era’ University......Page 709
9.3 Education: Paying the Piper......Page 713
9.3.1 Who Pays?......Page 715
9.3.2 The Student Pays Approach......Page 718
9.3.3 Tertiary Education: For the Common Good......Page 726
9.4 Ethically Based Responsibility......Page 728
9.4.1 Administration and Management Growth......Page 729
9.4.2 Academic Staff......Page 733
9.4.3 Casual Employment: Zero-hours Contracts......Page 739
9.5 The Humanities......Page 742
9.6 The ‘Multiversity’......Page 747
9.7 Jobs and Graduates......Page 748
9.8.1 Choice of Programme......Page 753
9.8.2 Relationship: The Return of the Student Learner......Page 755
9.8.3 Tuition Fees......Page 756
9.8.4 Programme Development......Page 758
9.8.5 The Language of Mathematics......Page 760
9.8.6 Delivery Techniques......Page 761
9.8.7 Programme Duration......Page 763
9.8.8 The Value of the Certificate: Looking Good on Paper......Page 768
9.9 The Online Modality......Page 771
9.10 Organisational Failures: Concorde—AF4590......Page 775
9.10.1 Concordski......Page 778
9.11 Discussion......Page 779
9.12 Additional Reading......Page 787
References......Page 788
10.1 Introduction......Page 792
10.2 A Passion for Research......Page 794
10.3 Research Involving Human Participants......Page 796
10.3.1 The Shadow of Eugenics......Page 800
10.4 Early Human Experimentation......Page 803
10.4.1 The Wendell Johnson Experiment......Page 804
10.4.2 Racially-Based Trials Using Mustard Gas......Page 806
10.4.3 Denial of Treatment: The Tuskegee Study......Page 809
10.5 Research: Post Nuremberg......Page 810
10.5.1 The Death of Ronald Maddison......Page 811
10.5.2 Radioactive Cocktails......Page 814
10.6 The Declaration of Helsinki......Page 817
10.7 The Uncertainty of Informed Consent......Page 820
10.7.1 The Temporal Factor......Page 821
10.7.2 The Reward Incentive......Page 823
10.7.3 Intentional and Unintentional Bias......Page 824
10.8 Animal Experimentation......Page 826
10.8.1 From Empathy to Cruelty......Page 828
10.8.2 Ethics in the Laboratory......Page 831
10.9 Organisational Failures: Voyages to Mars......Page 840
10.9.1 Mars Climate Orbiter: When Units Matter......Page 841
10.9.2 Mars Polar Lander: An Early Touchdown......Page 842
10.9.4 When Success Was so Close…......Page 844
10.10 Discussion......Page 847
10.11 Additional Reading......Page 854
References......Page 856
11.1 Introduction......Page 859
11.2 Ethical Action......Page 862
11.2.1 Professional Evaluation of an Issue......Page 864
11.2.2 When Courage Isn’t Always Recognised......Page 865
11.2.3 Catalysed by Anger......Page 868
11.3 Ethics and Motivations......Page 871
11.4 Ethics in Action: A Graded Approach......Page 874
11.4.1 Following Through......Page 875
11.5.1 Boeing’s 737: A Trusted Workhorse......Page 878
11.5.2 Ingredients for Tragedy......Page 881
11.5.3 The Illusion of Emulation......Page 884
11.5.4 The Human Cost......Page 885
11.5.5 Perhaps only a Partial Solution?......Page 886
11.5.6 History: Who Should Care?......Page 887
11.6 Closing Discussion......Page 891
References......Page 897
Appendix A Universal Declaration of Human Rights......Page 899
Appendix B BCS Code of Conduct......Page 907
Appendix C The Nuremberg Code......Page 909
Appendix D Declaration of Helsinki......Page 911
Appendix E The Oath of Hippocrates......Page 918
Index......Page 920