Ethics and Information Technology: Current Debates

On Thursday we'll use class time to discuss paper/project topics and the final exam, and so today will be our last formal seminar session. One of the luxuries of studying the influence of computers on humanity, society and values is that it's possible to end a course like this with selections from contemporary debates by computer scientists, philosophers, sociologists, and educators that appear in the latest academic journals devoted to such issues. So, today we'll be talking about the articles we selected last time: Richard Spinello's "The Future of Intellectual Property" (2003), and Robert Sparrow's "The March of the Robot Dogs" (2002).

Reading specialized journal articles should be a different experience than reading book-length narratives/treatises/ arguments. First, most readers will find at least claim, term, or argument difficult if not impossible to understand. Second, the nature of the journal article demands a degree of concision that often makes us read slower, and should force us to unpack and reflect upon the ideas/arguments covered. Finally, the article is designed to persuade the reader of the value of seeing issues, questions and facts in a certain way, and this in turn demands that we read critically from start to finish. Therefore, let's take a couple of minutes to figure out our answers to each of the following questions, for each of the assigned articles:

• What sentence/paragraph/section of the article did you find most important?
• Of what sentence/paragraph/section of the article were you most critical?
• What sentence/paragraph/section did you find least comprehensible?

Spinello's "The Future of Intellectual Property"

"But what, if anything, can be done to restore a balance between ownership rights and the public interest?" (6)

Here are a few questions we might consider, after the answers to the three above:

• Spinello draws a distinction between a "utilitarian" justification for intellectual property rights and a "Lockean" justification. What's the difference and with which are you most in sympathy?
• Citing Benkler, Spinello relates the distinction between the "physical, logical and content" layers of the internet. What's the basis of the distinction and (why) is it important in Spinello's discussion?
• What is the "tragedy of the commons" that Spinello discusses on pp. 4ff, and why is it less of a danger in cyberspace than in physical space?
• Based on Spinello's descriptions, did you find Lessig's or Litman's approach to issues of intellectual property and copyright more compelling?
• Did you agree with Spinello's interpretation of the Napster controversy and/or his criticism of Lessig's take on Napster?
• Did Spinello's article affect your thoughts on downloading music (yourself)?
• If you were to write a response to Spinello's article, arguing about the proper justification of intellectual property law, what would you argue and what analogies/examples would you use?

Sparrow's "The March of the Robot Dogs"

"I have argued that insofar as such emotions are based on an illusion they are morally deplorable." (316)

We'll begin our discussion of Sparrow's article by reconstructing his argument for this claim, and then try to identify strengths and weaknesses in Sparrow's arguments about the ethical aspects of relationships between persons and animals/persons/machines as well as his distinctions between "real" and "ersatz" companions.

For Thursday:: Come to class ready to discuss your paper/project to satisfy the third assignment, and with either a good passage for explication or a good essay topic for the final exam (last year's exam can be found at http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/cs009/cs009.finex.html).

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