Ethics of Emerging Technologies: Scientific Facts and Moral Challenges

An insightful guide to understanding and navigating the ethical issues faced by anyone affected by the ethical dilemmas associated with current and emerging technologies
Ethics of Emerging Technologies provides the background, insight, and tools for approaching and solving ethical dilemmas across a broad range of topics. The text discusses ethical problems, using examples and reasoning tools that will aid engineers, scientists, managers, administrators, and the public who wish to understand risks, benefits, and possible approaches to resolving conflicts associated with new technologies in the context of the global community.
Solutions we choose to ethical dilemmas accompanying new technologies will profoundly affect future generations. Scientific facts and guides to decision–making for all associated with emerging technologies are presented. Some of the topics are:Human health and environmental effects of alternative energy production methodsCommunications and privacyPlagiarism and authorshipGenetic modification of organismsHuman and animal experimentationSynthetic biology and bioterrorismConfidentiality in science, engineering, and business communicationsRisks and consequences of enhancing human beings through new technologiesCloning of human beings and stem cell researchBrain modificationsSpace exploration

Spis treści:
Preface.
1. Ethical Principles, Reasoning, and Decision Making.
Introduction.
Designing Solutions to Ethical dilemmas.
Evolution of Ethical Principles.
Virtue Ethics.
Justice Ethics.
Rules Ethics.
Rights Ethics.
Duty Ethics.
Modern Duty Ethics and Ross’s Prima Facie Duties.
Utilitarianism.
Analysis of Duty Ethics vs. Utilitarianism.
Autonomy vs. Utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism vs. Justice: Allocation of Limited Resources.
Other Moral Theories.
Cultu ral Relativism.
Pragmatism.
Pluralism.
Subjectivism.
Minimum Conception of Morality.
Other Conception and Ideologies.
Principles That Guide Human Experimentation.
Dangers of Expediency and the Slippery Slope Theory.
Learning Values and Cheating in Life.
Synopsis of Tools for Resolving Ethical Dilemmas.
Chapter Summary.
References.
Additional reading.
Problem Set.
2. Ethics in Scientific Research.
Introduction.
Definition of Scientific Misconduct.
Categories of Scientific Misconduct.
Unethical Conduct by researchers.
Ethical Transgressions by Authors.
Ethical Transgressions by Reviewers.
Example of Scientific Misconduct.
Responsible Authorship.
Guidelines for Authorship for Bioscience Journals.
National Academy of Sciences Guidance on responsible Authorship.
Practical Guidelines for Assigning Authorship.
Ranking of Authors.
Stealing and copyright.
Plagiarism.
Motives for Scientific Misconduct and Whistleblowing.
Criteria for Whistleblowing.
Consequences of Being Accused of Scientific Misconduct, and Protection When Accused of Scientific Misconduct.
Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA).
Approaches to Scientific Misconduct: What Should Be Done?
Responsibilities of Individual Researchers.
Responsibilities of Government, Universities, and Research Institutions.
Conflict of Interest as a Category of Scientific Misconduct.
Managing Conflicts of Interest.
Conflicts between Goals of Commercialism and the Tenets of Academia.
Chapter Summary.
References.
Additional Reading.
Appendix.
Appendix 2.1: Federal Policy on Research Misconduct.
Problem Set.
3. Information Technology Ethics.
Introduction.
The Benefits and Problems Generated by the Information Technologies.
Benefits.
Problems Associated with IT.
Invasion of Privacy Due to faulty Engineering of Computer Systems and Software Programs.
Risks to Privacy by Outso urcing Private Information to Other Countries.
Collection, Storage, Selling, and Unauthorized Use of Personal Information.
Loss of Privacy by Monitoring.
Ethics of Camera Surveillance in Public Places.
Unauthorized Use of Intellectual Property (IP).
Hacking and Hoaxes.
Plagiarism.
Journalism on the Internet.
Theft, Deception, and Fraud on the Internet.
Censorship in Internet Communications.
Spam.
Availability of Information Technologies.
Chapter Summary.
References.
Additional Reading.
Appendix.
Appendix 3.1: Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects: Security of Research Subjects’ Personally Identifiable Data Held by Researchers (Excerpts from http://chps.berkeley.edu).
Problem Set.
4. Business Ethics.
Introduction.
Historical Background.
Design Strategy for Corporate Ethical Dilemmas.
Corporate Practices Challenge Ethical Theories.
Differences in Corporate Tactics.
Credo vs. Vision Statement.
Guidelines and Pitfalls of Corporate Strategies.
Conflicts in Ethical Theories.
Beneficence to the Community vs. Duty to the Stockholders.
Utilitarianism vs. Justice.
Duty vs. Justice and Virtue.
Non–Malfeasane vs. Utilitarianism.
Virtue vs. Duty.
Corporate Responsibilities.
Responsibilities to Employees.
Ethnic. Religious, and Sexual Harassment Issues in the Workplace.
Responsibilities to the Public.
Responsibilities in Business with a foreign country.
Responsibilities to the Ecosystem.
The Ethics of the Professional Employee.
Confidentiality.
Confidentiality When Changing Jobs.
Loyalty vs. Duty to Report Misdeeds.
Whistleblower Responsibility of Corporate Employees.
Obligations to Report Safety Violations or Threats to the Public.
Conflicts of Interest.
Federal Reaction to Corporate Fraud.
Chapter Summary.
References.
Additional Reading.
Web Sites Helpful for Business Ethics Issues.
Appendix.
Append ix 4.1: Some Strategic Rules from Sun Tzu (Michaelson 2001).
Problem Set.
5. Environmental Ethics.
Introduction.
Current Energy Production and Use.
Predicted Energy Needs for the Future.
Transportation: the Greatest Consumer of Fossil Fuels.
Energy use by Communications technologies.
Alternative Energy Technologies.
Fuel Cells.
Nuclear reactors.
Nuclear fusion as a Source of Energy.
Wind Production of Energy.
Hydroelectric Production and Storage of Energy.
Solar Source of Electricity and Fuel.
Moral, Spiritual, and Ideological Perspectives on the Environment.
Using vs. Saving the Environment.
The Dimensions of the Moral Community.
Moral Theories and the Environment.
Religious or Spiritual Approaches to the Environment.
Ideological Approaches to the Environment.
Anthropocentrism.
Biocentrism.
Ecocentrism.
Deep Ecology.
Ecofeminist Approach to the Environment.
Modern Pantheist Approach.
A Conceptual Structure for Environmental Ethics Based on Relative Value.
The Global Environment.
Responsibility for Technologies We Create.
The Tragedy of the Commons.
Where We Go from Here.
Societal Efforts to Prevent Environment Degradation and Promote Sustainability.
Summary of International Conferences to Protect and Sustain the Environment.
The Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer, Vienna, Austria, 1985, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, Montreal, Canada, 1987.
U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992.
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto, Japan, 1997.
United Nations Millennium Summit, New York, New York, 2000.
United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa 2002.
U.N. World Environment Conference of Mayors, San Francisco, California, June 2005.
The G8 Annual Conferences.
Chapter Summary.
References.
Additional readin