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This article discusses some "historical milestones" in computer ethics, as well as two alternative visions of the future of computer ethics. Topics include the impressive foundation for computer ethics laid down by Norbert Wiener in the 1940s and early 1950s; the pioneering efforts of Donn Parker, Joseph Weizenbaum and Walter Maner in the 1970s; Krystyna Gorniak's hypothesis that computer ethics will evolve into "global ethics"; and Deborah Johnson's speculation that computer ethics may someday "disappear"., (C)2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers

The focus of this article is primarily on the impact that the computer revolution has on college/university libraries, although many of the issues discussed here are relevant to other types of libraries as well. The university library in its present form is a product of the printing press revolution. In all likelihood, the computer revolution will have an even more profound impact on the library than did the printing press revolution.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Norbert Wiener's Foundation of Information Ethics Computer Ethics Developments after Wiener and before Maner Walter Maner's Computer Ethics Initiative Deborah Johnson's Influential Textbook and the Start of the “Uniqueness Debate” James Moor's Classic Paper and His Influential Computer Ethics Theory The Professional-Ethics Approach of Donald Gotterbarn Computing and Human Values Luciano Floridi's Information Ethics Theory Concluding Remarks: The Exponential Growth of Computer Ethics References and Selected Resources

Abstract: In this essay a set of principles is defended that yields a determinate allocation of sovereign competences across a global system of territorially nested jurisdictions. All local sovereign competences are constrained by a universal, justiciable human rights regime that also incorporates a conception of cross-border distributive justice and regulates the competence to control immigration for a given territory. Subject to human rights constraints, sovereign competences are allocated according to a conception of global democracy. The proposed allocation scheme can accommodate substantial local autonomy while at the same time ensuring that everyone has a voice in the political decisions that affect his or her interests. The relevant class of affected interests is fully specified. Relevant affects are of two kinds: those that impose norms of governance on individuals, and those that impose external costs on them. The favored sense of “an external cost” is developed and defended.

No one denies the importance of applying knowledge to actions. But claiming identity (unity) of knowledge and action is quite another thing. There seem to be two problems with the claim: (1) the identity claim implies that the sole cause for one to fail to act on what one judges to be right is ignorance, but it is obviously false that the sole cause of failure in moral actions is ignorance. (2) The identity statement implies non-separation of knowledge and action. But knowledge does not necessarily lead to action. However, the identity of knowledge and action is what a famous Ming Confucian scholar, Wang Yang-ming, proposed and the concept became the central doctrine of his teaching. Though there are several major interpretations of Wang's doctrine in contemporary literature, it is not clear to me how they deal with the above mentioned difficulties. In this article, I will discuss these interpretations of the doctrine and propose a new interpretation. My purpose is to give an interpretation of Wang's doctrine that has the capacity of dealing with these challenges to the doctrine and also captures the essence of his teaching. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of tensions between old and new in the emerging global society driven by information and communication technology (ICT); and to argue that creation of a theory of this society would contribute in the easing of these tensions. Design/methodology/approach The methods used in this paper are mostly analytical, descriptive, and qualitative. An analysis of the creation and development of ICT from a mathematical discipline of computer science to a universal tool and a driving force of the emerging global society, a development which is paralleled by the commercialization of ICT, is followed by two case studies illustrating the tensions between old and new and the role ICT plays in them. One case is centered on the challenges of traditional models of education by new, ICT-friendly approaches, like the Multiple Intelligences Theory; the other addresses tensions between old and new that in many societies presently take the form of tensions between local/national and global. Findings A claim is formed that the existing tensions between old and new are closely linked to the tensions between the two most common forms of society, inclusive (egalitarian) and exclusive (elitist). Originality/value The paper will help understand some of the reactions to the process of globalization. It can serve as a tool for assessment and prediction regarding this process. Lastly, the paper contains a justification of merit in the creation of a “grass root” theory of an ICT-driven global society built on a universally accepted ethical foundation. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

At the heart of the uniqueness debate is the possibility that the computer revolution may demand more in the way of ethical analysis than our traditional (that is, modern) ethical edification has prepared us for. In short, it may present new and unique problems and therefore demand new and unique solutions. In this article I argue that the solution is in fact an old and not-sounique one: casuistry. Appealing to Jonsen and Toulmin's analysis of casuistry (1988), I argue that a casuistic methodology is a more accurate description of the moral reasoning used by contemporary computer ethicists than are other accounts. In addition, I argue that the strengths that enabled casuistry to deal successfully with radical social, economic, and religious changes in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries render casuistry well suited to the task of dealing with radically new situations like those found in twentieth- and twenty-first-century computer technology. Before concluding, I briefly explore Pascal's fatal critique of casuistry and its relevance for contemporary computer ethics. © 2007 Metaphilosophy LLC and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the place of computer/ICT ethics in the global ICT society driven by knowledge economy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper focuses on three main issues: the evolution of the name of the leading technology of our times and, accordingly, the evolution of the name of the society in which this technology plays the leading role; some ethical dilemmas that the global ICT society will need to solve; global ICT ethics and the knowledge economy. Findings - The paper suggests that global ICT ethics should be an ethics focusing on the dynamics of the relationship between the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick worldwide - and it should explore the ethical problems from the point of view of both parties involved. That way, Global ICT Ethics can have a truly communicative character, and it can become an ethics that will be both a co-creator and also a result of a democratic processes. Originality/value - This paper should interest anyone concerned with ICT and globalization.

This essay describes a new ethical theory that has begun to coalesce from the works of several scholars in the international computer ethics community. I call the new theory Flourishing Ethics because of its Aristotelian roots, though it also includes ideas suggestive of Taoism and Buddhism. In spite of its roots in ancient ethical theories, Flourishing Ethics is informed and grounded by recent scientific insights into the nature of living things, human nature and the fundamental nature of the universe-ideas from today's information theory, astrophysics and genetics. Flourishing Ethics can be divided conveniently into two parts. The first part, which I call Human-Centered FE, is focused exclusively upon human beings - their actions, values and characters. The second part, which I call General FE, applies to every physical entity in the universe, including humans. Rather than replacing traditional great ethical theories, Flourishing Ethics is likely to deepen and broaden our understanding of them. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006.

In light of the relation between culture and markets, an analysis of cultural evolution reveals that globalization will not lead to the homogenization of world cultures. © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited