Intro
From Napster to the Human Genome Project, innovations in contemporary science, technology, and engineering are raising profound and vexing ethical dilemmas that defy easy resolution. These issues pose serious challenges to society's ability to devise realistic public policies that promote societal well-being. The aim of the course is to gain a better understanding of the way in which such ethical problems arise and are dealt with by us and our society.
80-136 is a first course in applied ethics, which is the branch of philosophy that studies contemporary moral problems. This summer will tackle three provocative topics: animal rights, genetic engineering and computers. We will pay special attention to underlying issues of privacy and property rights, risk and responsibility, and the special moral status of humans. In addition to books and articles on these subjects, we will draw on films, novels, web-sites, CD-ROMs and legal briefs to better understand explore various approaches to moral decision making in real world cases. Our focus is the role of philosophical argument in resolving ethical dilemmas and formulating public policy.
Unit 1: Animal Rights
July 2 — July 18
Recent discoveries in genetics and artificial intelligence reveal that humans have more in common with animals than was previously thought. Humans and mice share 90% of the same genes; 98% in the case of chimpanzees. Scientists now report that some animals have gone far beyond understanding human language. They can perform simple arithmetic, form mental maps of their environment, exchange elaborate messages with each other, master intricate social relationships, as well as create tools and teach other animals to use them. It is against this backdrop that the contemporary animal rights movement has picked up steam.
Despite a widening appreciation for the welfare of animals, social attitudes towards animals are severely disjointed. On one hand, many people regard their pets as members of their families. On the other, these same people think nothing about eating animals (other than pets), wearing their skins, using them in experiments, or exploiting them for entertainment in films, circuses, zoos, and rodeos. Thus we ask:
- What is the moral standing of non-human animals?
- Should we regard them as property to dispose of as we please?
- Should we eat them?
- Is experimenting on them justifiable?
Underlying these controversies is a philosophical question about the relationship between people and animals. We will consider the arguments on both sides of the issue, taking a moment to compare the issue of an animal's right to life to "sanctity of human life" issues (abortion, death penalty, euthanasia). We will see that the polarized debates over animal rights are not a trivial philosophical sideshow——they strike at the core of what it means to be a person.
Unit 2: Genethics
July 19 — July 27
The genetic revolution has made it possible to create better pest-resistent crops, clone once extinct species, and transplant an organ from the one species into another. Recent discoveries from the Human Genome Project have extended the reach of genetic engineering even farther: scientists now have the tools needed to not only identify and understand the basis of genetic diseases, disorders and other inherited human traits, but to actively intervene as well. However, such unprecedented control over living beings has opened up a pandora's box of ethical concerns. Should we regard the latest genetic technology developments as simply incremental advances in a long continuum of life science research, or scientific hubris? Industry, government, and many academic scientists tout the benefits of genetically modified (GM) foods for agriculture, ecosystems, and human health and well-being, including feeding a world population bursting at the seams. With equal passion, consumer groups, environmental activists, religious organizations, and some scientists warn of unforeseen health, environmental, and socioeconomic consequences. In this unit, we will consider several burning policy questions derive from these recent advances in genetics:
- Does genetic testing constitute an invasion of a person's basic right to privacy?
- Should genetic material remain the property of the donor?
- Ought we allow the genetic engineering of crops and farm animals?
- Should human cloning be banned?
Our goal will be sort through the ethical issues in order to develop an appreciation for the challenges of the genetic age.
Unit III: Cyberethics
July 30 — August 9
Not since the Industrial Revolution has a technology so dramatically transformed the way individuals and communities interact as the Digital Revolution. Information and communications technology is profoundly affecting the opportunities and capacities of individuals. It is also changing the character of social, political, and economic institutions. Computers have raised questions about risk and responsibility, about new forms of crime, and about security. In establishing a new medium for communication, information and association, computers have raised questions about the nature of property rights, privacy, political freedom, free speech, and social justice. Finally, the rapid growth of AI and expert systems raises a host of even more intriguing questions.
In this final unit, we will examine the moral and social impact of computers (the growing field of "computer ethics"). These are some of the ethical questions we will consider:
- Should file-swapping sites be allowed to exist unregulated by the government?
- Is internet censorship justifiable?
- Should computer programs be owned?
- Do robots have rights?
We will see how computers have affected the moral landscape and how they could further affect it in the future.
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