IT1703

Definition of Ethics
Ethics is two things.
First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do,
usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Examples are those
standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and
fraud. Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards.
Computer Ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Some common issues of
computer ethics include intellectual property rights, privacy concerns, and how computers affect society.
Professional Code of Ethics
 Ethical Decision Making – Adherence to professional code of ethics means that practitioners use a
common set of core values and beliefs as a guideline for ethical decision making.
 High standards of Practice and ethical behavior – Adherence to a code of ethics reminds professionals of
the responsibilities and duties that they may be tempted to compromise to meet the pressures of day-to-
day business.
 Trust and Respect from the General Public – Public trust is built on the expectation that a professional
will behave ethically. People must often depend on the integrity and good judgments of a professional to
tell the truth, abstain from giving self-serving advice and offer warnings about the potential negative side
effects of their actions.
 Evaluation Benchmark – A code of ethics provides an evaluation benchmark that a professional can use
as a means of self-assessment. Peers of the professional can also use the code for recognition or censure.
Ten (10) Commandments of Computer Ethics
 Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
 Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
 Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
 Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
 Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
 Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid (without permission).
 Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
 Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
 Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are
designing.
 Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow human.
The Importance of Integrity and Core Values
Integrity means following your moral or ethical convictions and doing the right thing in all circumstances, even
if no one is watching you. Having integrity means you are true to yourself and would do nothing that demeans
or dishonors you.
Integrity is one of the fundamental values that employers seek in the employees that they hire. Honesty and
trust are central to integrity. Acting with honor and truthfulness are also basic tenets in a person with integrity.
Integrity in Workplace
 Work when you are supposed to and save  Use materials for work and not personal use.
socializing, snacking, searching the Internet  If you make a mistake and a team’s project
and personal phone calls for break time. gets messed up or you miss a deadline, own
 Turn in the extra change you found in the up to your mistake.
soda or snack vending machine.  Work together as a team.
 Show respect to coworkers with appropriate  Never steal supplies from the workplace.
conversation and empathy.  If you find yourself in a conflict of interest, get
 If you are in management, keep your out of it as soon as possible.
employees informed so they will know what  Don’t accept praise of acclaim for someone
is coming and what needs to be done. else’s work.
 Adhere to company policies and procedures.
 Be responsible. Do what you say you will do.
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 When making a business deal, make sure  If your company asks you to do something
everything is on the table and nothing was left against your personal code of conduct,
out. refuse.
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage “Perhaps the surest test of an individual's
to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that
right. These are the magic keys to living your life would damage his self-respect.” - Thomas S.
with integrity.” Monson
- W. Clement Stone “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing refusal to be compromised.” - Chinua Achebe
that nobody's going to know whether you did it “You are in integrity when the life you are living
or not.” - Oprah Winfrey on the outside matches who you are on the
inside.”
– Alan Cohen
Core Values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. The core values are the guiding principles
that dictate behavior and action. Core values can help people to know what is right from wrong.
Some examples of core values people might have about life include:
 A belief, or lack thereof, in God and/or an affiliation with a religious institution
 A belief in being a good steward of resources and in exercising frugality
 A belief that family is of fundamental importance
 A belief that honesty is always the best policy and that trust has to be earned
 A belief in maintaining a healthy work/life balance
 Parents also try to instill these types of positive core values in children.
Some examples of core values for a company might include:
 A commitment to sustainability and to acting in an environmentally friendly way.
 A commitment to innovation and excellence.
 A commitment to doing well for the whole.
The difference between Morals, Ethics, and Law
Morals are one’s personal beliefs about right and wrong.
Ethics describes standards or codes of behavior expected of an individual by a group (nation, organization,
profession) to which an individual belongs.
For example: the ethics of the law profession demand that defense attorneys defend an accused client to the
best of their ability, even if they know that the client if guilty of the most heinous and morally objectionable
crime one could imagine.
Law is a system of rules that tells us what we can and cannot do. Laws are enforced by a set of institutions
(the police, courts, law-making bodies). Legal acts are acts that conform to the law. Moral acts conform to
what an individual believes to be the right thing to do, Laws can proclaim an act as legal, although many people
may consider the act immoral- for example, abortion.
Common Ethical Theories
1. Plato: Absolutism
Primary Domain: Personal character - What kind of life should I live?
Principle: Conform to the Forms (Ideals which make up ultimate reality).
Source of Value: The Form of Goodness (an absolute, unchanging, objective, existing, ideal reality).
Method: Reason out the nature of an unchanging ideal. Analogies.
Control: Exception less, possibly limitless, and precise (if we actually knew the Form of Goodness).
Example: Lying is wrong because it does not conform to the Form of Truth and it places improper value on
the changeable and ignorance.
2. Aristotle: Eudaimonism
Primary Domain: Personal character- What kind of person should I be?
Principle: Develop and maintain activity of the soul in accordance with virtue and a rational principle.

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Source of Value: Human well-being as determined by human nature.

Method: Examine and analyses ordinary moral language and common moral ideas.
Control: Possibly exceptions (one swallow does not a summer make). Limits and imprecise (general
dispositions).
Example: Lying is wrong because it is outside of the mean between the defect of understatement and the
excess of boastfulness. So it is not virtuous.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas: Natural Law
Primary Domain: Personal character --What kind of person should I be?
Principle: Promote good and avoid evil. Goods are self-preservation, family, knowledge and ordered
society.
Source of Value: The nature of humanity and the universe as determined by God.
Method: Elaborate on Aristotle. Examine human inclinations. Reason about the nature of law.
Control: Possibly exceptions (cultural differences in ordering society). Limits and imprecise.
Example: Lying is wrong because we have a natural inclination to shun ignorance and avoid offending
others; it is harmful to ordered society
4. Emmanuel Kant: Deontology
Primary Domain: Actions -- What should I do?
Principle: The categorical imperative, act only on that maxim (principle) which you could be willing to have
everyone act upon. And other versions.
Source of Value: Rationality and the reverence for reason. Goodness of will. Autonomy.
Method: Reasoning about the nature of a good will, the categorical, and consistency.
Control: Exception less. Limits. Precise (legalistic).
Example: Lying is wrong because the idea of everyone deceiving is inconsistent, hence impossible, hence
cannot be willed.
5. John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism
Primary Domain: Actions - What should I do?
Principle: Maximize benefits over harms for the greatest number of those affected.
Source of Value: Human happiness, namely, pleasures or preferences, as determined by human psychology.
The consequences of actions.
Method: Reason about the need for a single principle decision procedure and the value of happiness to each.
Control: Exception less. Limitless. Possibly precise (act utilitarianism).
Example: Lying is wrong, when it is, because it fails to maximize benefits over harms for the greatest number
affected.
6. John Rawls: Contractarianism
Primary Domain: Institutions -- What social arrangements should we adopt?
Principle: Just arrangements are fair. First, most extensive compatible liberty, and second, economic
inequalities must benefit least advantaged and be equally open to all.
Source of Value: Human well-being as determined by rational self-interest from behind veil of ignorance.
Method: Considered judgments in reflective equilibrium. Reasoning about hypothetical and actual cases.
Control: Exception less. Limited primarily to social arrangements. Imprecise.
Example: Lying cannot be part of social arrangements because it is incompatible with similar liberty being
granted to all.

REFERENCES:
Lavina, C., Erise, M., Barcenas, C., & Calyua, S. (2012). Ethics for it. professionals with legal aspects in
computing. Intramuros, Manila: Mindshapers Co.,Inc.
Reynolds, G. (2014). Principles of ethics in information technology. Pasig City, Philippines: Cengage Learning
Asia Pte Ltd.

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