Communications of the ACM

Home/Opinion/Articles/Ethics as a Participatory and Iterative Process/Abstract

Viewpoint

Ethics as a Participatory and Iterative Process

By Marc Steen
Communications of the ACM, May 2023, Vol. 66 No. 5, Pages 27-29
10.1145/3550069
Comments

View as: Print Mobile App ACM Digital Library In the Digital Edition Share:

compass with text labels for its four points marked V, C, D, and R — Credit: Andrij Borys Associates, Marc Steen

You probably find yourself more frequently in discussions of ethics in relation to the design and application of technology. The trolley problem is a familiar trope in such discussions. You assess and compare outcomes, and choose less-worse over even-worse outcomes. Another familiar trope is the ethics checklist. You make a list of relevant rules and norms, and take measures to comply. In this Viewpoint, I propose there is much more to ethics than assessment of outcomes and compliance to rules.

Doing Ethics

Over the years, and while working on many projects in the design and application of technologies, I have developed a view on ethics I would like to share. I understand ethics as a process, as doing ethics: a participatory and iterative process of ethical reflection, inquiry, and deliberation.⁹ The task for the people involved is then to make room for such a process, and to facilitate it. Practically, you can imagine three key ingredients in this process:

No entries found

Log in to Read the Full Article

Sign In

Sign in using your ACM Web Account username and password to access premium content if you are an ACM member, Communications subscriber or Digital Library subscriber.

Need Access?

Please select one of the options below for access to premium content and features.

Create a Web Account

If you are already an ACM member, Communications subscriber, or Digital Library subscriber, please set up a web account to access premium content on this site.

Join the ACM

Become a member to take full advantage of ACM's outstanding computing information resources, networking opportunities, and other benefits.

Subscribe to Communications of the ACM Magazine

Get full access to 50+ years of CACM content and receive the print version of the magazine monthly.

Purchase the Article

Non-members can purchase this article or a copy of the magazine in which it appears.