Case Studies in Information Technology Ethics (2nd Edition)

Book Description

Ethics in Information Technology, Second Edition is a highly anticipated revision offering updated and newsworthy coverage of issues such as file sharing, infringement of intellectual property, security risks, Internet crime, identity theft, employee surveillance, privacy, and compliance. This book offers an excellent foundation in ethical decision-making for current and future business managers and IT professionals.

Customer Reviews:

Great Discussion Questions.......2007-06-08

You don't normally think of ethical issues in the case of information technology, but this book brings many, many questions to the fore. ==For instance should American companies (Sun, Cisco, Yahoo! & Goodle) assist the Chinese government in censoring web access. They block access to words like 'Dalai Lama' and 'democracy.'

We have seen a raft of corporations filing bogus financial statements. These were undoubtedly produced on a computer. What about access to porn sights from public facilities like libraries or schools? What about pirated software, or pirated movies or songs. And computer controlled surveillance - it is said that the average person in London appears on 300 cameras. Where does a right to privacy interfere with a society's right to protection from vandals, from terrorists.

This book features white pages and grey pages. The white pages describe facts, laws, rules, equipment and so on. The grey pages summarize the chapters but then give a large number of questions that either review the material or which can service as discussion questions for classroom use.

Business MIS not ethics.......2003-05-03

This text is highly reductionist. From the beginning his only concern is argue for protecting from monitary loss (he describes unethical behavior based on how much money you loose). In summary this is a book designed to develop a background for understanding why we have corporate security on IT/IS systems. The book really should be titled "MIS and Corporate Security the Current Social Backdrop".

Book Description

"Herman Tavani has written an excellent introduction to the field of cyberethics. . . . We need a good book in cyberethics to deal with the present and prepare us for an uncertain future. Tavani's Ethics and Technology is such a book."
--from the foreword by James Moor, Dartmouth College

Is there privacy in a world of camera phones and wireless networking?
Does technology threaten your civil liberties?
How will bioinformatics and nanotechnology affect us?
Should you worry about equity and access in a globalized economy?

From privacy and security to free speech and intellectual property to globalization and outsourcing, the issues and controversies of the information age are serious, complex, and pervasive.

In this new edition of his groundbreaking book, Herman Tavani introduces computer professionals to the emerging field of Cyberethics, the interdisciplinary field of study that addresses these new ethical issues from all perspectives: technical, social, and philosophical. Using fascinating real-world examples--including the latest court decisions in such cases as Verizon v. RIAA, MGM v. Grokster, Google versus the Bush Administration, and the Children's Online Pornography Act (CIPA) --as well as hypothetical scenarios, he shows you how to understand and analyze the practical, moral, and legal issues that impact your work and your life. Tavani discusses such cutting-edge areas as:
* Globalization and outsourcing
* Property rights and open source software
* HIPAA (privacy laws) and surveillance
* The Patriot Act and civil liberties
* Bioinformatics and genomics research
* Converging technologies--pervasive computing and nanocomputing
* Children's online pornography laws

Updating and expanding upon the previous edition, Ethics and Technology, Second Edition provides a much-needed ethical compass to help computer and non-computer professionals alike navigate the challenging waters of cyberspace.

About the Author

Herman T. Tavani is Professor of Philosophy at Rivier College and Co-Director of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (INSEIT). He is the author, editor, or co-editor of five books on ethical aspects of information technology.

www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Customer Reviews:

Repectable, updated text.......2007-07-05

While this book would not normally be one that I would purchase to read on its own, it was the textbook for a course on computer ethics that I took and I was pleasantly surprised to find the textbook written in a very approachable matter.

The text starts off with an overview in general ethical theory before starting in to the focus of the text - various issues and how they apply to the growing use of computer technology in the modern world. Some of the topics covered include surveillance, privacy, and file sharing among others. Included with the various issues are up to date examples for recent cases and point/counterpoint perspectives on the topics.

The text does lose some points due to the fact that the last few chapters run a bit thin and could stand to be expanded a bit, but as a whole the text is quite detailed and provides plenty of citations to allow the reader to find attentional information.

More academic than I'm used to, but solid information..........2006-12-10

It seems that every time you turn around, there's some news story in the industry press about the ethics or legality of some aspect of technology. To help myself understand some of the underlying issues a bit better, I decided to read and review Ethics & Technology: Ethical Issues in an Age of Information and Communication Technology (2nd Edition) by Herman T. Tavani. While not the easiest or most riveting read, I did come away with a better appreciation for the field of ethics.

Contents: Introduction To Cyberethics - Concepts, Perspectives, and Methodological Frameworks; Ethical Concepts and Ethical Theories - Establishing and Justifying a Moral System; Critical Thinking Skills and Logical Arguments - Tools for Evaluating Cyberethics Issues; Professional Ethics, Codes of Conducts, and Moral Responsibility; Privacy and Cyberspace; Security in Cyberspace; Cybercrime and Cyberrelated Crimes; Intellectual Property Disputes in Cyberspace; Regulating Commerce and Speech in Cyberspace; Social Inclusion, The Digital Divide, and the Transformation of Work - The Impact for Class, Race, and Gender; Community and Identity in Cyberspace - Ethical Aspects of Virtual-Reality and Artificial-Intelligence Technologies; Pervasive Computing and Converging Technologies - Ethical Aspects of Ambient Intelligence, Bioinformatics, and Nanocomputing; Glossary; Index

Having never taken a class on ethics or critical thinking, I found the first three chapters interesting. Tavani builds the foundation of how to define and describe cyberethics, as well as how to determine and argue the case of what is "moral". These chapters are a concise course on how to build an argument and support it properly. After those three chapters are done, the concepts that were built are used to examine many different facets of computers and life, and how ethics come into play and shape how we think. There are the subjects you'd expect, like digital rights and security. But he also covers issues that I don't normally think of when dwelling on computers and ethics... gender, socioeconomic classes, race. First you have to determine if indeed those things are ethical issues, and if so, what responsibility do you have in those areas.

On one hand, the book is thorough and detailed. It's meant to be a textbook on the subject, and as such it delivers. These are the types of academic discussions and debates that you'd expect in a formal setting. I was somewhat disappointed, however, when it came to conclusions. Both sides of each issue were debated (even when I didn't even think there *was* another side), but resolution was elusive. I suppose I'm supposed to take this information and draw my own conclusions, but instead I came away with "so everything's right *and* wrong". Since I tend to want to get down to practical issues rather than deal with abstracts, I found it hard to come to any resolution at the end of each chapter.

Definitely good material, and worth reading. But it will make you work and think.

A really interesting little-ish book.......2003-12-20

This book was on the prescribed text list for the masters I am doing (Master of Informaiton Technology) and I must say I was pleasantly surprised to read it. Being a technical (engineer) person, it's a generalized opinion that this group (enclave?) we like mathematics, science and engineering books, but not so called 'arty farty' stuff like philosophy. Speaking for me personally, isn't far from the truth...So I thought...groan, not another one of these idealistic, pointless, ultimately altruistic and futile failures to read. Indeed not! I actually enjoyed reading it! (shock-horror). Tavani uses the ploy of relating his ideas to real-life situations (stalking, cracking, etc). This lends the book a serious air of legitimacy. The ivory tower is nowehere in sight. He doesn't lecture at you like you're a poor, misguided computer geek who could never possibly understand human morals and ethics in a digital world (the point is to help you do that...which Tavani does).

Back to the point: the book builds form the point of view that you have never been exposed to ethics. You get a grounding in ethical theories and then move on to learning how to evaluate ethical issues (kind like logic in mathematics without the symbols). He talks about codes of practice and your moral responsibility as a somebody who works, creates or manages a little corner of cyberspace. It is at this point that the book leaps forward into relevant (if somewhat shallow treatment) of the major issues ike privacy, piracy, crime, security,freedom of speech and equity. These are also posited through scenarios and then the ethics involved are developed through direct discussion of these scenarios. And as I alluded to previously, these give the book an excellent 'hook'. They make the theory real and relevant and rather interesting (and sometimes tragic: you'll see what I mean when you read the first scenario involving a teenage girl stalked thorugh the net and ultimately murdered in realty).

This is a provocative book, but in a subdued, subtle way. The author doesn't speed feed you heaped spoonsfuls of moral outrage with lashings of indignant pontification, just ideas (and these are ever so valuable) in a considered manner. I think the author has really succeeded here. If he can make a totally 'technical' person like me actually enthusiastic about reading it, then that's truly indicative of the book's quality.

The price may be a little high for what is a pretty thin book in a physical sense. Ideaswise it is quite rich, so that's the price you pay (it this ethical? ideas are only available to those who can affort it!) That aside, I got a lot from this little book and so consider it money well spent.

All in all a good 'starting' book for cyberethics! Thumbs up! However consider you may find yourself supplementing it with other braoder, deeper works as you progress because it is a rich field to learn in. Tavani will open this vista up for you if you approch this book with a willingness to put aside your prejudices and listen to what he has to say.

Average customer rating:

Great price for this textbook!
Emphasis On Ethics

The Principles of Information Ethics
Richard James Severson
Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

High-Tech | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1563249588

Customer Reviews:

Great price for this textbook!.......2007-07-23

I needed this book for an online class I am taking and the price was much lower than the bookstore!! Thanks Amazon!

Emphasis On Ethics.......2002-02-22

Richard J. Severson's "The Principals Of Information Ethics"
was first published about 5 years ago but is still very relevant.
It is written in a casual style, and is an easy read. The emphasis is on ethics, which, according to Severson, lie somewhere between our morals and the things for which we are applying morals to. It does contain some of the author's opinions, but is mostly objective.

Average customer rating:

Very good; not perfect
What are the Ethics of Slanted Writing in an Ethics Book?
It covers the IEEE, ACM recommendations for an ethics course

Ethics for the Information Age
Michael J. Quinn
Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0321194349

Book Description

This book provides modern coverage of the ethics that surround information technology. It offers readers a timely, balanced, and impartial treatment of computer ethics. It introduces ethical theories early and uses them throughout the book to evaluate moral problems related to information technology. Earlier chapters focus on issues concerned with the individual computer user including, email, spam, intellectual property, open source movement, free speech, and Web censorship. Later chapters focus on issues with greater impact on society as a whole such as privacy, computer and network security, and computer error. The final chapter discusses professionalism and the Software Engineering Code of Ethics. All users of technology who are concerned with understanding the legal, moral, and ethical decisions surrounding that technology.

Customer Reviews:

Very good; not perfect.......2005-08-12

Quinn's textbook comes off "very good" in a crowded field of competitors. It is broad in its scope, and very up to date in the issues that it raises.

The book is not without its flaws: as a philosophy professor, I would have hoped for a clearer discussion of ethical theory and a less mechanical application of those theories to the issues, but these parts of the book are small and can easily be supplemented by outside readings. I also deal with the subjects in a very different order from the book, beginning with the issues of reliability and security that will most concern our CS majors. (Spam is nasty, but it doesn't seem like the best place to start. I doubt that many of our majors will be headed in that direction as professionals.)

Of course even a perfect book could not guarantee that students will learn from it-- Learning is also the responsibility of the student. Students of science or engineering who treat this as if it were a science or math text may well come to the conclusion of one reviewer below that its conclusions often seem "obvious"-- but it is a method that is being taught, and not just the answers. Who knows what the big questions will be ten years from now in such a rapidly changing field? That is one reason why the author's first, historical chapter is such a valuable inclusion and should not be overlooked. Students too often take the status quo for granted, and do not realize how much has changed to get us here, and how quickly it has happened. Few such texts deal with this important material, and Quinn does a good job with it.

As to alleged bias in the text, that is just nonsense. If you are convinced that J. Edgar Hoover never authorized an illegal wiretap, or that the Patriot Act is uncontroversial, then some of the questions Quinn raises may make you feel uncomfortable. But that is exactly what a good ethics text should do: provoke thought and discussion.

I recommend this book as a course text that touches on all of the (currently) key areas of social concern in the CS curriculum in an engaging way. I also hope for an improved second edition that will do the job even better.

What are the Ethics of Slanted Writing in an Ethics Book?.......2004-12-21

This book is one of the two texts in FSU's COP 3502: "Introduction to Computer Science" course (a required course in their Computer Science degree). It's mostly a waste of time. The first two chapters are of some use because they provide a brief history of computers and a quick introduction to the ethical theories one can use to resolve ethical dilemmas. Unfortunately, chapters 3 through 6 (inclusive) are worthless. They consist of about 190 pages of figuring out why certain obviously wrong activities are wrong (things like sending spam, producing pornography, stealing intellectual property, violating privacy, stealing identities, producing viruses, etc.). The last three chapters might have some merit, though. They cover some of the more general ethical consideration of working in the computer science field. Unfortunately, I stopped reading when the author started bringing up false POLITICAL references.

In general, most of the examples of ethical situations in these chapters are non-computer-related. Since the author specifically talks about this book being an ethics course as adhering to the IEEE's and ACM's "Computing Curricula 2001" standard, its examples ought to be drawn from the Information Systems world. My biggest gripe with these chapters is the obvious political slant of the author. He's constantly slipping his world-view based assumptions into the text as absolute-truth. I wonder what the ethics is of implying to students that certain things are true when, at best, they're controversial, and at worst, false?

I truthfully feel sorry for the poor students in FSU's Computer Science degree program who are stuck going through a course with this book and a (most probably) similarly slanted professor.

I give it 1 Star out of 5.

It covers the IEEE, ACM recommendations for an ethics course.......2004-10-03

In 2001, a joint committee of the IEEE computer society and the Association for Computing Machinery recommended that every undergraduate computer science degree incorporate 40 hours in the social issues of computing. The report also contains a model syllabus for "CS280, Social and Professional Issues." This book is designed to cover all of the major topics in that outline, and that goal has been achieved. There is also enough additional material and chapter independence so that all adopters will have the flexibility to do it their own way.
The book is split into nine chapters:

*) Catalysts for change.
*) Introduction to ethics.
*) Networking.
*) Intellectual property.
*) Privacy.
*) Computer and network security.
*) Computer reliability.
*) Work and wealth.
*) Professional ethics.

While the coverage is fairly complete, the technical level never rises beyond that which one would expect the experienced computer science student to be able to handle. In my opinion, most computer science students, and quite likely instructors as well, will find the second chapter to be the most difficult to understand. The topics are:

*) Subjective relativism.
*) Cultural relativism.
*) Divine command theory.
*) Kantianism.
*) Act utilitarianism.
*) Rule utilitarianism.
*) Social contract theory.

The author delves fairly deeply into these areas, but since they are the necessary preconditions to understand ethical dilemmas, I do not object to it. However, it is a point that needs to be made in this review. I took two courses in philosophy/ethics as an undergraduate and I found myself going slowly through the chapter. A large number of questions and in-class exercises are given at the end of each chapter.
However, there is one area where the author really fumbled the ball, demonstrating a lack of historical knowledge. On page 335 in the Work and Wealth chapter, there is the statement:

" It also appears modern Americans work harder than the ancient Greeks, Romans or Western Europeans of the Middle Ages. `The lives of ordinary people in the Middle Ages or Ancient Greece and Rome may not have been easy, or even pleasant, but they certainly were leisurely. [9]' In the mid-fourth century the Roman Empire had 175 public festival days. In medieval England holidays added up to four months a year; in Spain, five months; in France, six months.[9]"

A reference is given to justify these statements, but it is most certainly wrong. While I don't dispute that there were many public holidays in ancient Greece and Rome, they were for citizens only, which was a small percentage of the population. The majority of people were slaves, who did the bulk of the labor in those societies and their labor is what made the circuses possible. Nothing really changed in the Middle Ages, the only difference was that the laboring population were called serfs.
Anyone who tries to make the point that people work harder now than in the past should reread the history of the industrial revolution. At that time, most industrial workers put in ten to fourteen hours a day seven days a week, with almost no days off. The managers of industry also readily admitted that the work environment was structured so that the workers were required to move as fast as possible. Working conditions were so difficult and physically demanding that many people were permanently disfigured after a few years on the job.
Despite this reservation, I recommend the book and plan on using it as a text if my proposal for a course in computer ethics is approved.

Contemporary Issues in Ethics and Information Technology

Average customer rating:

Contemporary Issues in Ethics and Information Technology
Robert A. Schultz
Manufacturer: IRM Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

High-Tech | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Project Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Project Management | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 159140780X

Product Description

Information technology has produced new ethical challenges and concerns in dealing with issues about privacy, security, piracy and professional ethics. Contemporary Issues in Ethics and Information Technology discusses these issues as well as other important ethical issues such as the outsourcing of high-level jobs and the value of IT itself. The main framework for ethical problems used in Contemporary Issues in Ethics and Information Technology is derived from the work of the late philosopher John Rawls. Rawls contribution to ethics was a theory of justice rooted in the social contract theory of the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution. The authors discussion of the value of IT also builds on the views of the philosopher, Martin Heidegger, on modern technology as an independent force in human existence with its own point-of-view. This book provides guidance for IT professionals and users for practical ethical problems.

Average customer rating:

Engineering Ethics, Second Edition
Charles Fleddermann
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Natural Resources | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Social Aspects | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0131408259

Book Description

ESource—Prentice Hall's Engineering Source—provides a comprehensive, customizable introductory engineering and computing library. Featuring over 25 modules and growing, ESource allows users to fully customize their books through the ESource website. Using the ESource online BookBuild system at www.prenhall.com/esource, users can view and select book chapters, change the sequence, instantly calculate the book's net (bookstore) price, request a free examination copy, and generate an ISBN for placing a bookstore order. Engineering professionalism; Ethical theories; Ethical problem solving techniques; Applications; and Codes of ethics of major engineering societies. For professionals in General Engineering or Computer Science fields.

Average customer rating:

Long on sociology. Short on philosophy.
Excellent through ch 4, then loses focus
Very bad and very simplistic
Written by a sociologist for sociologists
Intriguing Viewpoints

The Hacker Ethic
Pekka Himanen , and Linus Torvalds
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 037575878X
Release Date: 2002-02-12

Book Description

You may be a hacker and not even know it. Being a hacker has nothing to do with cyberterrorism, and it doesn’t even necessarily relate to the open-source movement. Being a hacker has more to do with your underlying assumptions about stress, time management, work, and play. It’s about harmonizing the rhythms of your creative work with the rhythms of the rest of your life so that they amplify each other. It is a fundamentally new work ethic that is revolutionizing the way business is being done around the world.

Without hackers there would be no universal access to e-mail, no Internet, no World Wide Web, but the hacker ethic has spread far beyond the world of computers. It is a mind-set, a philosophy, based on the values of play, passion, sharing, and creativity, that has the potential to enhance every individual’s and company’s productivity and competitiveness. Now there is a greater need than ever for entrepreneurial versatility of the sort that has made hackers the most important innovators of our day. Pekka Himanen shows how we all can make use of this ongoing transformation in the way we approach our working lives.

Customer Reviews:

Long on sociology. Short on philosophy........2006-01-12

Briefly, as to general flow of the book some reviewers here have already mentioned that the marrow of this book is to be found in the early portions with chapters 5,6, and especially 7 very nearly if not completely skipable. Castells' futurist epilogue while a bit far reaching at times is a welcome respite after the preceeding chapters. Torvalds introduction piece while intended to provide some hacker credentials and tone-setting for the book, I imagine, though fun came across as a bit glib and was essentially unnecessary.

I believe Himanen's main points can be summarized as follows:

1. People are working longer and harder based on an out of date paradigm and find the work they are doing is less rewarding especially in regards to true personal satisfaction.

2. On the other hand hackers can be described as those people who, regardless of the field in which they work, do what they do for personal satisfaction and the inherent rewards of furthering their area of interest and peer recognition.

In other words hackers are much like those who traditionally work in academia, the sciences, and the arts. In fact Himanen acknowledges as much during the course of the book.

None of this is in itself problematic, however given the famaliar ground covered here I kept hoping Himanen would do more than simply conjure (almost arbitrarily) a generic value system and just slap it on a group of people he generally terms hackers.

My real displeasure with this book was its failure to offer any suggestions, in light of the obvious and underlying ethical considerations inherent within his argument, as to how one might create a society of hackers. If his intent was to keep to interesting historical and sociological observations then he could have, possibly, gotten through this without touching on deeper ethical currents. All along though Himanen challenges the presumptions of our current views on work, money, fun, creativity, etc... Nothing wrong with any of that, however such musings, and indeed the title of the book, suggests that at some point he might be inclined to address some deeper questions. Questions such as how does someone with few resources and limited access attain the position that allows him/her to engage in more self fulfilling activies? Whose responsibility is it to ensure the essentials of survival are provided for so that people can pursue their passions? None of this is really given much attention and I suspect it isn't even seriously considered by Himanen. While some might argue that it was not his intent to raise and answer such questions, I believe his book suffers for his failure to delve more deeply into the basics of how to get beyond where we currently are to achieve his lofty but admirable goals.

Another minor source of irritation was his heavy reliance on Weber. Obviously the title acts as a clear indicator of his intent to explore Weber's ideas. Again nothing wrong with going to the well as it were, however at times it felt too much like a retreading of Weber's own work.

I find it interesting, and philosophically useful, when an author provides a dissenting viewpoint to her/his own proposal. Or at least attempts to provide a fair assessment of a viewpoint they wish to discredit. Such attempts also work to lend an air of credibility to the authors stance and help the reader understand the framework of the argument better. Unfortunately Himanen does not do this here.

On the positive side this is a very easy read and can be a nice introduction to more challenging works on the themes mentioned or alluded to througout the text. The author is engaging and playful and doesn't run the risk of scaring off readers who don't typically enjoy trudging through heavy academic works. This ease of read is probably why a major publisher such as Random House picked this up and chose to release it. On the other hand, and for the very same reasons, this is most likely why a more scholarly publisher like the Oxford University Press or the like did not.

In short alot more exploration of his own proposals and presumptions (i.e. the 7 values of the Hacker Ethic, etc...), as well as trimming some of the unnecessary portions (i.e. 10 pages on an imagined Protestant Genesis, etc...), as well as providing some illumination on the other side of the issue, would have made for a much better read.

Excellent through ch 4, then loses focus.......2004-12-20

I bought and read this book because I enjoy reading about hacker history and culture. When I started, I simply read and flipped pages, thinking I wouldn't find much of deep importance. After about 20 pages I was extremely interested in the book and started underlining the author's main points. By chapter 5, and especially in chapter 6, the author lost my attention and I ended up giving this book a three star review.

The valuable core of 'The Hacker Ethic' lies in its comparison with the Protestant work ethic. The author explains that philosophy's roots in monastic life, and contrasts it with the 'hacker ethic' and its roots in academic/scientific practices. As a history major I thought this comparison was fascinating and it made me examine my own work habits more closely. The author's illumination of time-centric vs. task-centric work was especially interesting.

Linux kernel inventor Linus Torvalds wrote the prologue, so the entire book approaches the free/open software world from an overtly Linux perspective. One mention of BSD appears in a citation of Eric S. Raymond's 'Cathedral and the Bazaar.' ESR criticizes the BSD development model ('carefully coordinated... by a relatively small, tightly knit group of people') in comparison with Linux, where 'quality was maintained not by rigid standards or autocracy but by the naively simple strategy of releasing every week and getting feedback.' I think 'naive' is the operative word here. Linux has certainly prospered, but companies like IBM, Novell, and others are playing increasingly bigger roles.

If you can read Linus' prologue and the first four chapters in a book store, I recommend doing so. I believe the author does a nice job making comparisons with the Protestant work ethic, but doesn't quite know where to go next. Reading four chapters should take a couple of hours, and you'll walk away appreciating the keen insights author Pekka Himanen has to offer on 'The Hacker Ethic.'

Very bad and very simplistic.......2003-06-19

A very simplistic work by a minor philosopher (I use this word lightly). Wow, so bad, so dumb, such a waste of time. Those other books you are considering reading first? Go again.

Written by a sociologist for sociologists.......2003-01-30

I originally picked up this book more for amusement than anything else, considering it another one of those books about kids who stay up all night writing radical programs and their nocturnal habits. I was wrong. This book is best decribed in the prologue written by Linus Torvolds himself. He states that when he first met the author it was at a convention of 'sociologists talking about technology'. Well this book is written by just such a person... a sociologist. And one by my observation who decided to write a book about technology without any real knowledge of the spectrum of subcultures in the technology arena. In a way it seems like a sociological report one would make to his peers, who without any real background in the subject would deem well written,as previous reviews above have shown, but for the rest of us, there is much more interesting literature out there. And hopefully sometime in the very near future he will cease his contributing his, at best, amateur opinions on this subject to himself, and allow those with a true insight to document the culture. While I greatly respect Linus Torvalds and his contributions to the world, he only lends credibility to a book that no one else wouldeven consider without his name being mentioned.

Intriguing Viewpoints.......2002-03-28

This book compares the so-called "hacker work ethic" as compared to the old "Protestant work ethic," examining so-called hacker culture and their motivations for working and completing projects, as opposed to the world view of working "because you are supposed to." It makes a number of interesting observations, and points out that in our world, the pressure to "work, work, work" never seems to escape us, in spite of all the technological advances of our world designed to "make life easier."

It also points out that "true hackers" are willing to work at something in order to improve it and are not always motivated to do so by the almighty dollar. I long have worked with engineers who come in to work at 10 or 11 am but stay until almost midnight every day and never quite understood why until now. It's the desire to continue to tinker with and ultimately complete a project.

Book Description

This streamlined discussion of ethical issues in the decision-making process supports and supplements any introduction to CIS or MIS textbook. Chapter One defines ethics. Chapter Two relates ethics to the use of technology. Chapter Three applies a four-step analysis process to an ethical dilemma, illustrating how to reach a defensible decision. The remaining chapters of 18 cases challenge the student to apply the knowledge gained in Chapters 1-3 to recognize, evaluate, and react responsibly to an ethical dilemma. The class-test cases are based on real business situations Case worksheets guide students in the case analysis. This edition offers new and expanded coverage of the Internet, privacy, and the ACM code. The Instructor's Manual contains case objectives, key ethical issues, discussion ideas, guidelines assigning and evaluating cases, strategies for managing classroom discussion, and lessons to be learned.

Ethics in Technical Communication (Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication)

Average customer rating:

Ethics in Technical Communication (Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication)
Paul M. Dombrowski
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Linguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

Technical | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0205274625

Book Description

This book deals with ethics and value systems as they relate to technical and scientific discourse. While it covers several traditional ethical theories from classical to contemporary times, it also emphasizes that ethics is a personal matter of judgment. The book shows how to become involved with thinking about and applying these theories to one's own discourse. The fact that there are no easy answers to ethical questions is emphasized. Issues include how and why information is obtained and how it will be used; how the meaning of technical terms shift with the value perspectives behind them; and how science and technology can be used to put forth questionable values or to serve values not apparent in the discourse. For anyone interested in the history of ethics.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books