Professional Ethics

Tom Kelliher, CS 200

Apr. 6, 2006

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Chapter Summary

  1. Strongly differentiated professions.
    1. Exceptions to ordinary morality by virtue of profession, not position.

    2. Role of efficacy.

  2. Characteristics of a profession.
    1. Mastery of an esoteric body of knowledge.

    2. Autonomy, at personal and profession levels.

    3. Formal Organization. Sets standards; controls admission.

    4. Code of ethics.

    5. Social function.

  3. Professional relationships:
    1. Employer-Employee.

    2. Client-Professional.

    3. Society-Professional.

    4. Professional-Professional.

  4. Codes of ethics.

Discussion Questions

  1. Should computing be a profession?

  2. What about software engineering?

  3. What about other sub-disciplines of computing?

  4. Some thorny technical ethics cases:
    1. Challenger and Columbia disasters.

    2. Therac-25 disaster.

    3. e-Voting.

    4. RFID technology.



Thomas P. Kelliher 2006-04-04
Tom Kelliher