01.11.

2023

Andrea Horbach & Thomas Mandl

Hauptseminar
Information Ethics

Introduction – Ethics
Winter Term 2023/2024

Threats through large language

models (ChatGPT etc.)
• Models are not yet well understood
• Large Amount of undesired content could
be created
• Large amount of interesting and fulfulling
jobs could be lost
• Use of AI could deepen inequalities
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/artificial-intelligence-unesco-calls-all-
governments-implement-global-ethical-framework-without?hub=32618

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Today Ethics
• Ethics • “Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of
• Different Theories for Ethics philosophy that involves systematizing,
defending, and recommending concepts of
right and wrong conduct.”

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

"Ethics“http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/

Everyday Ethics
• Descriptive • Traffic Rules
• Normative • Reasons for (not) following rules?

• Consider always conflicts of interests

– Who are the stakeholders?
– Rights of people are not violated if others do
not want that

Origin of ethics? Religious Base

• E.g in Hinduism
Some religious rule sets – VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM:
The whole world is one family
• Examples? (Vedic scripture Maha Upanishad, Chapter 6,
– Do not kill Verse 72)
– Not eating anything alive
– Carrying a sword (Kirpan)
– ….
• Differences?

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Examples for destructive

Why Ethics?
behaviors
• Justifications of un-ethical behavior? – Widow burning
– E.g. speeding, crossing red traffic lights … – Infanticide
– Senicide, or geronticide
– Assisted suicide in Western Europe (1626
• Theoretical approaches
cases in the Netherlands in 2003)
– Sterilization programs in some US states
between 1890 and 1920
– Sterilization in the USA in prisons and as part
of probation deals until recent years

Virtue Ethics Virtue Ethics

• Ancient Greek • describes the character of a moral agent
Philosophers as a driving force for ethical behavior
like • people will naturally do what is good, if
Socrates they know what is right
and Aristotle • Evil or bad actions are the results of
ignorance
• used to describe the ethics of e.g.
Socrates and Aristotle
https://empoweryourknowledgeandhappytrivia.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/ancient-greece-history-timeline/

Utilitarianism Utilitarianism
• Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that • This form of utilitarianism holds that the
argues the proper course of action is one morally correct action is the one that
that maximizes a positive effect, such as produces the best outcome for all people
"happiness", "welfare", or the ability to live affected by the action
according to personal preferences (E.g. John Stuart Mill)
• "the greatest • Overall benefit
happiness principle“ for the society
(Bentham)

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Consequentialism State consequentialism

• Consequentialism refers to moral theories
that hold that the consequences of a
particular action form the basis for any
valid moral judgment about that action
• a morally right action is one that produces
a good outcome
• "The ends justify the means".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics#Consequentialism.2Fteleology
• State Consequentialism, is an ethical
theory that evaluates the moral worth of an
action based on how much it contributes to
the basic goods of a state
• social stability as an overall goal
• Emerged 500 b.C. in a time of famines,
war and population growth in China
• promoting the benefit of all under heaven
and eliminating harm to all under heaven

Deontology Deontology
• German • determines goodness or rightness from
philosopher examining acts, or the rules and duties
Kant that the person
– One of the • to act in the morally right way, one must
leading act from duty (Kant)
scholars
during the • Even an act with bad consequences could
Enlightment be good
• E.g. always telling the truth

Deontology
• Immanuel Kant introduced • Ethics based on rules or duty
the categorical imperative: • Actions have an intrinsic ethical value
• Example: Lies are not allowed -> even no
"Act only according to that white lies or emergency lies
maxim whereby you can, at
the same time, will that it
should become a universal
law".

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Deontology Discourse Ethics

• Deontology leads directly to Universal
Human Rights German
– Independent of utility philosopher
Habermas
– We cannot weigh one life against others
– Everybody has the absolute right for life (and
other rights)

Discourse Ethics Discourse Ethics

• Public communication • Habermas focuses on the process of reaching
• Variety of arguments norms
• Arguments are presented in a rational • Ideal communication situations
discourse • Basis of democracy
• Best arguments are accepted
• Works only if no force except that of the better
argument is exerted
• Works only if all the participants are motivated
only by a concern for the better argument

Habermas

Discourse Ethics
• Rational discourse always allows future revision
• Participants need impartial judgment based only
on reason
• instead of claiming truth of pre-modern norms
(e.g. religion)
Declaration of
Universal Human Rights (1948)
• Probition of slavery
• freedom of thought, opinion, religion and
conscience,
• the right to a standard of living adequate
for the health and well-being

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Declaration of
Universal Human Rights (1948)
• Article 1.
• All human beings are born free and equal
in dignity and rights. They are endowed
with reason and conscience and should
act towards one another in a spirit of
brotherhood.
• Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and
security of person.
Declaration of
Universal Human Rights (1948)
• Article 2.
• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set
forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or
other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or
other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made
on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international
status of the country or territory to which a person
belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-
governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Ethical Theories Important

• Virtue Ethics • During the class, use the knowledge from
• Utilitarianism this lecture
• Consequentialism • You should be able to decide which theory
• Deontology is used to create an argument
• Discourse Ethics
• Consider the Corona decisions as a test
– Which ones are based on deontology and
which ones are based on utilitarianism?

Topics Ethical Debates

• Data Protection
• Copyright • Presentation of both sides
• Scholarly Communication and Open – Different arguments by stakeholders
Access – Legal issues
• Laws, court decisions …
• Digitization and Societal Changes •
• Digital Divide
• Limitation of Access: Censorship
• Information Literacy

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Formal Issues Formal Issues: Earning Credits

• Active Participation
– in class
– Quizzes: multiple choice tests after classes
– Short presentation
– One page: Pre-submission of term paper
– Peer reviews of presentations
• Term Paper
– At the end of the class
– On one topic

Formal Issues Formal Issues

• Term Paper
• Presentation • Self-selection of topic through Learnweb
– Group presentations • Critical discussion – pro/contra arguments
– Mostly related to Data Protection and • Three parts
Copyright • Introduction and explanation of positions of
stakeholders
– 10 minutes
• Critical discussion – pro and contra arguments
– Upload slides to Learnweb • Summary of the findings
– For each presentation other students will be • approx. 1 page per argument, double spacing
assigned to provide a short peer review • Submit printed copy and as file through
Learnweb
• Until March 10., 2024 (no extensions) 40

Formal Issues Quizzes

• Term Paper • Short multiple choice quizzes
• Plan and first summary of pro/contra
arguments (one page) +
need to be taken
one argument as a sketch (one page) • Usually fairly easy
already to be submitted during the semester
• On the topic of a lecture
• = Pre-Submission
• You also need to assert that
• Later, each argument can be extended to a you work on the assignment
full page and paper is completed yourself and on your own
(conduct)
• First quiz on Ethics will be
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available later today