Life Stories of Moral Exemplars in Computing: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

计算机领域道德典范的人生故事：跨文化分析

• 批准号: 0217298
• 负责人: Charles Huff
• 金额: $ 8.95万
• 依托单位: Saint Olaf College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-09-01 至 2004-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0217298&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Life; Stories; Moral; Exemplars; Computing

There are celebrated cases where individual moral decision making in computing has mattered greatly, but there is little systematic work on how moral decisions are made by individual computer professionals. The literature on organizational issues in computing has focused on variables such as status, power, and organizational imperatives. It leads us to focus on situational parameters. This important perspective ignores or underestimates the influence of the individual decision maker in the process. This study explores the life stories of moral exemplars in computing in two cultures, those of Britain and Scandinavia. These two cultures are an interesting contrast because the associated countries have been heavily involved in computing research and design, but their national cultures differ markedly in their approach to workplace values. This case-based study, based on in-depth interviews and questionnaires, examines how particular moral exemplars in computing develop over time in their moral reasoning and action.This study will be done while the investigator is in residence at the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility (CCSR) at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. A panel of experts in computing ethics refines criteria for selecting moral exemplars in computing in British and Scandinavian cultures, and then helps develop a snowball sample of those moral exemplars. Once selected, the moral exemplars are asked to participate in interviews using a format called the "Life Story Interview" in which interviewees are asked to relate narratives of important episodes in their life (e.g. a peak experience, a nadir experience, a turning point). The interviews are transcribed and coded to identify important developmental milestones and influences.This research breaks new ground by combining developmental work in moral psychology with concern for moral values and behavior on the part of computer professionals. It will be of interest to psychologists studying moral reasoning and action and to the interdisciplinary field of computer ethics. Scholars in the related field of social informatics will also be interested. Finally, this exploratory research will provide an excellent foundation for a continuing research program in the moral development of computer professionals. Much effort has been expended in talking about teaching computer ethics and we have various curricula as guidelines for teaching computer ethics. If we knew something about what actually motivates computer professionals to be ethical, it might well change what (or how) we teach computer

有著名的情况下，个人的道德决策在计算中有很大的影响，但很少有系统的工作，如何道德决策是由个人计算机专业人员。在计算的组织问题的文献集中在变量，如地位，权力和组织的必要性。 它使我们关注情境参数。这一重要观点忽视或低估了决策者个人在这一过程中的影响力。 本研究探讨了在两种文化，英国和斯堪的纳维亚的计算道德榜样的生活故事。这两种文化是一个有趣的对比，因为相关的国家一直在大量参与计算研究和设计，但他们的民族文化在他们的工作场所价值观的方法显着不同。本研究以个案研究为基础，透过深入访谈及问卷调查，探讨特定的道德典范在计算方面如何随时间发展其道德推理及行为。研究者将于英国莱斯特德蒙福特大学计算与社会责任中心（CCSR）驻校期间完成。 一个计算伦理专家小组改进了在英国和斯堪的纳维亚文化中选择计算道德榜样的标准，然后帮助开发了这些道德榜样的雪球样本。一旦被选中，道德模范被要求参加一个名为"生活故事访谈"的形式的访谈，其中被采访者被要求讲述他们生活中的重要事件（例如高峰期经历，最低点经历，转折点）。访谈被转录和编码，以确定重要的发展里程碑和influences.This研究开辟了新的领域相结合的道德心理学的发展工作与关注的道德价值观和行为的计算机专业人士。这将是感兴趣的心理学家研究道德推理和行动和计算机伦理学的跨学科领域。社会信息学相关领域的学者也会感兴趣。最后，这项探索性的研究将为计算机专业人员道德发展的持续研究计划提供一个很好的基础。 在讨论计算机伦理教学方面已经花费了很多努力，我们有各种课程作为计算机伦理教学的指导方针。如果我们知道是什么真正促使计算机专业人员成为有道德的人，它可能会改变我们教计算机的内容（或方式）。