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ES2.1 Ethical claims can and should be discussed rationally.
Because many
individuals have strong emotional responses or moral intuitions about the ethical issues
confronting computer professionals, discussions on these issues can quickly disintegrate
into entrenched opinions or even hostility unless students realize that ethical claims can
and should be discussed rationally. Even the most deeply felt emotional responses can,
with careful analysis, be articulated in terms of their structure and supporting reasons.
Reasons can also be evaluated in terms of criteria like consistency, logical coherence,
agreement with accepted standards (e.g. codes of ethics), and applicability to a variety of
cases. None of these criteria are infallible methods of evaluation, but they are rational.
Because students will need to defend their opinions and decisions when they work within
organizations and teams, they need to be able to discern the reasons behind their opinion
and decisions and to evaluate them. Evaluation of ethical arguments helps one to be
reasoned in the position taken, rather than simply letting personal preference, convenience,
bias, or apathy determine an ethical position.
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