Computers and Ethics

Ethics are the rules and standards that govern the conduct of a person or the members of a profession. The importance of ethics stretches far beyond everyday life issues and into the world of business and the field of computers. Because computers can change the relationships among people, there is a need to incorporate ethics into the profession of computers. Computer technology has the ability to affect the privacy of an individual, effect jobs and the marketplace, and to infringe on an individual’s personal freedoms, therefore should include ethics in all aspects.
There are many different ethical principles brought forth by many different authors in all of history. The following are the five ethical principles that are the most relevant to the field of computers. Ethical egoism is the view that one should attempt to maximize one’s own happiness. Underneath ethical egoism are two sub types: universal ethical egoism and individual ethical egoism. Universal ethical egoi...