REVIEW: "Ethics and Computing", Kevin W. Bowyer

BKETHCMP.RVW 20040623

"Ethics and Computing", Kevin W. Bowyer, 2001, 0-7803-6019-2,
U$65.96/C$93.99
%A Kevin W. Bowyer kwb.TakeThisOut@csee.usf.edu
%C 10662 Vaqueros Circle, Los Alamitos, CA 90720-1314
%D 2001
%G 0-7803-6019-2
%I IEEE Computer Society Press
%O U$65.96/C$93.99 800-2726657 fax 714-8214401 cs.books.TakeThisOut@computer.org
%O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0780360192/robsladesinterne
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0780360192/robsladesinte-21
%O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0780360192/robsladesin03-20
%P 429
%T "Ethics and Computing:Living Responsibly in a Computerized World"

Chapter one is a mundane outline of concepts in ethics and
professional ethics, without getting into the standard theories. The
chapter ends with an actual scenario involving whistle-blowing. There
are reprints of articles on related issues (at the end of each
chapter), and "worksheets" asking some fairly general ethical
questions. Critical thinking, in chapter two, concentrates on
failures of logic. A number of professional codes of conduct are
printed in chapter three, with a bit of discussion. Chapter four
describes some blackhat types and activities, without looking much at
the ethical issues. (The reprinted articles are more than twice as
long as the chapter itself.) Chapter five is a rather confusing
amalgam of basic encryption types and US legal cases involving
wiretaps. A vague mention of the Therac 25 incident, and the
importance of safety critical systems, exhausts the three pages of
chapter six, but leads to fifty-five pages of reprints. Whistle-
blowing gets more detailed review in chapter seven. Chapter eight
outlines US law with regard to intellectual property. Hazardous
materials and bad ergonomic design are mentioned briefly in chapter
nine. Chapter ten moves back to an arena closer to ethics with the
concept of fairness. Some vague advice about managing your career is
in chapter eleven.

While the assortment of articles might be handy in terms of collecting
"real world" scenarios for discussion, the written text of the book,
and the discussion of ethical issues, does not provide much in the way
of direction or philosophical background. Deborah Johnson's "Computer
Ethics" (cf. BKCMPETH.RVW) is far superior and even Schwartau's
"Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids" (cf. BKINCMEK.RVW) provides
better discussions and explanation, while Tavani's "Ethics and
Technology" (cf. BKETHTCH.RVW) contributes significantly more to the
formal framework for ethical study.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2004 BKETHCMP.RVW 20040623

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