Ethics or Moral Philosophy in science and technology

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1. Philosophy and Social Imperative Bush 6002/007 Ahmad Kipacha 2024 [email protected] [email protected] [phone] NMAIST/IHI

2. The course outline Moral Philosophy –Day 1 Ethical Theories –Day 1 Applied Ethics: Day 2 Info ethics Day 3 Bioethics Day 4 Eco-ethics Day 5 Business ethics

3. Think of the following: Censorship on the internet Abortion The right to assisted suicide The use of charcoal GMO Sperm donor Human Cloning Robot partner Use AI to write a novel Unmanned vehicles Why you think certain behavior or policy is wrong? What is your reason for believing so?

4. In philosophy: The reasons for moral or ethical beliefs are articulated And then critically evaluated The reasons for taking a position on ethical issues can be considered as an argument for a claim Is the argument consistency , plausible and coherent ?

5. Euthanasia is wrong: argument/claim Your reason is: Human life has the highest value hence should never be intentionally ended. (your principle) Then test your principle in variety of euthanasia cases: Is it wrong to use euthanasia when the person is conscious but in extreme pain? When the person is unconsciously and severely brain damaged? When the person is terminally ill? When the person is young or elderly?

6. Can your principle of valuing human life be applied elsewhere? Is intentional taking of human life in war situation right or wrong? Is intentional taking of human life as a capital punishment right or wrong? Are you still holding to your principle? Any improvement to your principle? E.g. one should never intentionally take a human life except in self defense or except when taking a life will save another life.

7. Moral philosophy What is morality? ( Gert , 2016) Statements about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ My behavior In Latin Moralis : proper behavior of a person; one’s disposition • Mores (plural of moralis ): customs, manners

8. ethics In Greek: 𝑒 ҧthos : the characteristic of a culture, era, or community Behavior of individuals within a group is a field of philosophy (and more recently, science) that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior" ( Fieser , 1995)1 . It is concerned with questions of how (moral human) agents "ought to act" in order to live a "good, happy life".

9. Ethics vs. morality ethics denotes a theoretical approach to knowing what kind of action leads to greater good in a universal manner, regardless of time, space and culture. morality denotes specific, more situated practices and customs of a given time, place, culture or even an individual. Overlap, but distinct

10. Therefore ethics is : a collection of values and behavior s which people feel are moral . In other words, ―”ethics” is the name we give to our values or good behavior . Positive work ethic is the collection of all the values and actions that people feel are appropriate in the work place. for Aristotle, the main concern of ethics is the nature of human wellbeing ( eudaimonia , also translated as “happiness” or “flourishing”) ethics training amongst postgraduate students have evolved to contend with ethical issues facing their study undertakings

11. Ethical theories ( Consequences) Virtue Some behaviors are always ‘right’ or ‘good’ regardless of contexts or outcomes e.g. telling the truth Consequentialism (utilitarianism) Only outcomes of behavior matter ‘the ends justifies the means’ “Right” or “wrong” iff act maximizes good, or minimizes harm, “Greatest happiness for the greatest number.” that is the measure of right and wrong" (Bentham (1988, p.393) It is the maximization of pleasure and/or the minimization of pain Deontology ( from Greek δέον , meaning "duty") Follow the rules defined by context it is the action itself, not the consequence, nor the agent, that counts when it comes to attributing ethical worth.

12. Applied ethics Examines what is right to do and why it is right for specific issues It is concerned with tailoring the contents of "general ethics" to specific topics, issues and situations, in concrete, situated domains of human activity. Applied ethicists resort to several different ethics theories in crafting solutions and recommendations

13. Applied Ethics Incompatible behaviors code of conduct Conflict of interest New behaviors AI medicine Appization Platformization Organizational systems and policies What is right = descriptive ethical behavior ( empirical claims) Why it is right = normative ethical behavior

14. Descriptive vs. normative claim on ethics Descriptive : empirical claims/ factual statements about human beings e.g. 80% of Tanzanians live in rural areas. But descriptive studies don’t tell us what is right and wrong Normative: is a philosophical ethics (prescriptive) why certain behavior is right or wrong. Good or bad. E.g. many students photocopy materials without permission. The aim of this course is not to describe how people behave when photocopying materials but what they ought to behave when photocopying materials .

15. To ponder Discussion: What does it mean to live a good life? Assignment 1: How is your field related to ethics? (make sure your name and reg. number appears on top).

16. References Cavalier, R. (1996). Meta­ethics , Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics. http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/cavalier/80130/part2/II_preface.html Gert , B., & Gert , J. (2016). The definition of morality. In E.N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy