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.

Tom Kelliher