The Ten Commandments

To understand the foundation of computer ethics, it is important to look into the different schools of biology ethical theory. Each school of ethics influences a situation in a certain direction and pushes the final outcome of ethical theoritical.

Relativism is the belief that there are no universal moral norms of right and wrong. In the school of relativistic ethical belief, ethicists divide it into three connected but different structures, subject (Moral) and culture (Anthropological). Moral relativismis the idea that each person decides what is right and wrong for them. Anthropological relativism is the concept of right and wrong is decided by a society’s actual moral belief structure.

Deontology is the belief that people’s actions are to be guided by moral laws, and that these moral laws are universal. The origins of Deontological Ethics are generally attributed to the German philosopher Immanuel Kant and his ideas concerning the Categorical Imperative. Kant believed that in order for any ethical school of thought to apply to all rational beings, they must have a foundation in reason. Kant split this school into two categorical imperatives. The first categorical imperative states to act only from moral rules that you can at the same time will to be universal moral laws. The second categorical imperative states to act so that you always treat both yourself and other people as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end.

Utilitarianism is the belief that if an action is good it benefits someone and an action is bad if it harms someone. This ethical belief can be broken down into two different schools, Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism. Act Utilitarianism is the belief that an action is good if its overall effect is to produce more happiness than unhappiness. Rule Utilitarianism is the belief that we should adopt a moral rule and if followed by everybody, would lead to a greater level of overall happiness.

Social contract is the concept that for a society to arise and maintain order, a morality based set of rules must be agreed upon. Social contract theory has influenced modern government and is heavily involved with societal law. Philosophers likeJohn Rawls, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau helped created the foundation of social contract.

Virtue Ethics is the belief that ethics should be more concerned with the character of the moral agent (virtue), rather than focusing on a set of rules dictating right and wrong actions, as in the cases of deontology and utilitarianism, or a focus on social context, such as is seen with Social Contract ethics. Although concern for virtue appears in several philosophical traditions, in the West the roots of the tradition lie in the work of Plato and Aristotle, and even today the tradition’s key concepts derive from ancient Greek philosophy.

The conceptual foundations of computer ethics are investigated by information ethics, a branch of philosophical ethicsestablished by Luciano Floridi. The term computer ethics was first coined by Dr. Walter Maner, a professor at Bowling Green State University. Since the 1990s the field has started being integrated into professional development programs in academic settings.

The first commandment of computer ethics is "thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people." It's generally accepted that hurting people in any way is wrong, and this first commandment reaffirms that this applies to harm inflicted using a computer.

The second commandment states "thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work." Work with a computer can be a delicate and time consuming endeavor, and disrupting that work is not only rude and an invasion of privacy, but can potentially cause damage or loss of data.

The third commandment of computer ethics is "thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files." Personal privacy is important for everyone, and looking through someone's files uninvited, whether in person or over the Internet, is a violation of that privacy.

The fourth commandment reads "thou shalt not use a computer to steal." Just as stealing in the real world is a crime, using a computer as a means to steal money, data, copyrighted material and other information is not only disruptive and potentially damaging, it's often illegal.

The fifth commandment of computer ethics states "thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness." A computer should never be used as an aid to medium for lying, perjury or fraud, regardless of the method or reason.

The sixth commandment says "thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid." No matter how much it may cost to obtain legally, pirating or copying software you haven't purchased for any reason is like stealing money from developers and the programmers who write the software.

The seventh commandment of computer ethics states "thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation." Stealing someone's bandwidth, software or even hardware is wrong. Always have permission to use such resources, and if necessary, be willing to pay for them.

The eighth commandment is "thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output." Plagiarism is a crime. Never take someone's work, be it artwork, music, video, writing or any other product of someone's effort, and claim it is your own. Always get permission, and give credit where it's due.

The ninth commandment of computer ethics states "thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing." When designing software or a computer system, always consider the ways it can affect downstream consumers. Could your social networking site encourage "cyber-bullying?" Could your electronic voting system be manipulated by the unscrupulous? The consequences of our actions and creations can be more far-reaching than anticipated at design time.

The tenth and final commandment of computer ethics is "thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans." Use computers responsibly, to do positive and productive things for yourself and the people around you. Never use the computer in a way that might demean your fellow human beings, or cause others to do so.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics#Foundation

What is Computer Ethics?

The Computer Ethics are rules for every computer user.The Computer Ethics are some rule to let peopel know what they should do what they should not do.

Why identify the process by which individuals make ethical decisions?

Let other people know what they should do, and not let some people occasional to heart others.

Why should we take responsibility for all oral and written communication?

We have right to communicat with other people, also we need to take responsibility for that. Because we need take responsibility for what we did.

How do we solve problems using techniques that take into consideration personal and ethical behavior?

We do some adcertise let more and more people know The Computer Ethics.

What are some common types of unethical behavior in the workplace?

Use others computer copy date with out permission.