Ethics Online: How the Internet and Other Technology Shifts are Changing Morality

Ethics Online: How the Internet and Other Technology Shifts are Changing Morality helps students understand the basics of ethics as they are lived in today's world. The text introduces readers to traditional approaches to morality, narrows key theories into specific principles, and then uses those principles to examine many of the difficult moral questions we face in our contemporary, technology-driven society. The opening chapter introduces the basics of ethics, key terminology, and the mindset that will help students think critically and carefully consider moral issues. Additional chapters cover fundamental moral theory, justice and rights, the concept of autonomy, the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, and the importance of cultivating particular virtues in a technologically centered world, where we often interact with anonymous strangers. Closing chapters look at specific ethical issues that have been created by the growth of internet technology and the prevalence of social media. Online harassment, free speech, online justice, trust and authority online, group polarization, internet communities, and our changing notions of propriety and corporate responsibility are covered. Designed to help students develop informed decisions about the moral issues that face our society, Ethics Online is ideal for courses in moral theory, ethics, and philosophy, especially those with a focus on practical application.