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CS 335: Ethics (Fall 2010) |
Write each position paper and post it in the appropriate Discussion Forum on the course online forum.
Papers must be turned in by 12 noon on the day due. You then have 24 hours to write an additional response to one of your classmate's postings, again in the online forum. In your comment you must indicate where you agree, disagree, as well as comment on relevent information that you feel is missing. You will be graded not only on your position paper, but on your follow-up comments as well. Your paper should be 3-5 paragraphs long, should reflect the reading and what we've talked about in class, and should include your own thoughts and conclusions.
If you need help with your writing abilities, I encourage you to make use of the UIC Writing Center, where you can get help for free. Contact them ahead of time to make an appointment.
Consider the papers by Joy and Kurzweil (Though you don't have to, you may want to also look at Heilemann) . Heilemann quotes futurist Peter Schwartz as saying "All of science is now information science." In response to being asked about the challenges posed by the radical changes science is about to thrust upon us, Schwartz's reply is "The biggest political challenge in this new century is the conflict between the secular and the sacred... cloning, life extension, genetic manipulation, super-intelligence, sentient robots - this stuff has a way of really freaking people out... In the next few decades, I do believe people will kill each other in large numbers as a direct result of the advancement of science." Though not an assigned reading, Vinge describes "The Singularity" as the point in time when Artificial Intelligence suddenly does surpass human intelligence.
Consider where you agree/disagree with Joy, Heilemann, Kurzweil and Schwartz. Is the future they predict inescapable? Why or why not?
Be sure to review the instructions in the Syllabus regarding position papers. Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 1 " CS 335 online forum.
Read this story on "Slow Glass". What are the technological implications of this technology if it were pushed to its limit? (C'mon now, think...) Can computers be used to do something similar? (Consider current "augmented reality" glasses, uses in surveillance, wearable computers, etc.) What could be the effect on society of such technology? Discuss how this is related to other technologies and topics we have discussed in class. Related to this, see the Harvard Gazette link on how scientist Lene Hau slowed light to 38 mph. A Nasa paper describes then stopping it entirely. If interested in time travel, see also the story of Ron Mallett (also see here).
Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 2 " CS 335 online forum.
Read about the Therac-25 case. (49 pages. Alternatively see the author's page, with the case as Postscript or as pdf). If one of your parents or a sibling was one of the ones who had died due to a radiation overdose, who would you sue? What caused the problem? How could this have been avoided?
Consider the following elements: hardware, software design practices, operator procedure, interface design, information sharing (FDA & the CAP), the role of safety statistical estimates, and human attitudes. Make an outline of the different cases involved and a timeline of the development of the case. You will need to know these details for in-class use, so bring a print-out with you. There is quite a bit of information here, but it is necessary to make informed judgements in a "real-world" problem.
Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 3 " CS 335 online forum.
Should spam be allowed? View the spam links on the course page on Freedom of Speech. Give the strongest reasons you can think of why it should be allowed, and the strongest reasons you can think of as to why it should not be allowed.
The "Spam Link" are hard to identify on that page so it is listed again here:
- Spam (Junk mail: should it be allowed, what to do about it). Wikipedia article on the problem. Paul Graham's anti-spam site, describing among other things a statistical approach to identify spam. Using spam to encrypt/decrypt a message. See this great proposal to restrict spam by having some sort of electronic postage. See an overview at the Clueless Mailers site. See the spambot case. How remailers obscure their URLs. NetBIOS spam. How does online spam compare with physical junkmail? Note that physical junkmail subsidizes our 1st class mail rate.
Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 4 " CS 335 online forum.
Does the "Fair Use" doctrine allow you as a student to copy software from a friend to try? Imagine a hypothetical person that is very similar to you. Has this hypothetical person ever copied software? Why or why not? Under what conditions? Is there a difference between the "letter of the law" and the "spirit of the law", or is that just an excuse for this hypothetical person to do whatever is most convenient, regardless of the cost to others? With the understanding that you are writing as a hypothetical person, go ahead and write in the first person, e.g. "I think that..."
Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 5 " CS 335 online forum.
The case involving Steve Jackson Games (SJG) and the Secret Service gave rise to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a staunch defender of electronic privacy and free speech. (If you're interested, you can read John Perry Barlow's account of this.) Read about this case, either at the SJG site, or by looking at a summary taken from Bruce Sterling's online book The Hacker Crackdown.
Submit a position paper on the underlying issues involved here from the standpoint of: 1. The government; and 2. Individuals. Give your reactions to this case. Have your views on possible government intrusion into citizen's lives changed since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01? Turnin your position paper into the "paper6" project.Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 6 " CS 335 online forum.
Read this short story. (You will need the username and password I give you to access it.) The questions below are designed to get you started. You don't need to answer all of them.
What role does technology play in the story? Considering both belief and technology, does one serve the other? Consider this story in light of Thoreau's statement (see it in context) "We do not ride on the railroad, it rides on us." Do the characters serve technology, or does it serve them? In the end, what is most important in the story? Is technology value-neutral?
Consider your answers to these questions and reflect on whether or not this is true today in our context as well. You may want to touch on issues such as:
Does technology help maintain the status quo in a negative sense, or does it help foster positive change in society? Does technology make the world a better place to live?Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 7 " CS 335 online forum.
Read this short story. (You will need the username and password I give you to access it.)
Think about the crystal cube as technology that helps you learn. How does this compare to present-day technology? Think of Steward Brand's 1984 statement:
"On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other."
Which of these two seems more true to you? How does that affect how we might use technology to help teach/learn?
Enter your position paper into the "Position Paper 8 " CS 335 online forum.