Towards an ontological foundation of information ethics

The paper presents, firstly, a brief review of the long history of information ethics beginning with the Greek concept of parrhesia or freedom of speech as analyzed by Michel Foucault. The recent concept of information ethics is related particularly to problems which arose in the last century with the development of computer technology and the internet. A broader concept of information ethics as dealing with the digital reconstruction of all possible phenomena leads to questions relating to digital ontology. Following Heidegger’s conception of the relation between ontology and metaphysics, the author argues that ontology has to do with Being itself and not just with the Being of beings which is the matter of metaphysics. The primary aim of an ontological foundation of information ethics is to question the metaphysical ambitions of digital ontology understood as today’s pervading understanding of Being. The author analyzes some challenges of digital technology, particularly with regard to the moral status of digital agents. The author argues that information ethics does not only deal with ethical questions relating to the infosphere. This view is contrasted with arguments presented by Luciano Floridi on the foundation of information ethics as well as on the moral status of digital agents. It is argued that a reductionist view of the human body as digital data overlooks the limits of digital ontology and gives up one basis for ethical orientation. Finally issues related to the digital divide as well as to intercultural aspects of information ethics are explored – and long and short-term agendas for appropriate responses are presented.     

Who Wants to Be a Discipline?

In contemporary times, two primary motivations have driven academics to attempt to form new intellectual disciplines. The first motivation is intrinsic to the subject matter at issue: Either old disciplinary questions need to be examined in new ways (as in the creation of sociolinguistics out of linguistics and sociology) or the field itself is novel (for example, computer science). The second motivation is more political: Unlike “areas of inquiry,” “fields of study,” or “tools of research,” new disciplines (e.g., cognitive science) often command significant academic real estate and sizable budgets. This essay considers several case studies in which potential academic disciplines have emerged—or failed to do so. The author suggests that in their attempts to determine what formal status they wish their research to hold, Internet scholars must carefully differentiate between the nature of their intellectual enterprise and legitimate professional desire for academic turf.     

共同富裕示范区科创高地建设科技伦理反思性高阶“元治理”路径

新兴科技的前沿创新性、动态变化性、多元互动性使其伦理治理存在难度，传统的治理方式难以快速应对。浙江省作为共同富裕示范区，重点发展“互联网+”、生命健康和新材料三大科创高地，亟需识别新兴科研领域的伦理风险并加强伦理建制。为此，基于我国重点科技创新领域伦理治理存在相关法律法规文本体量不足、专业审查机制及配套保障不完善、科技伦理教育薄弱、总体伦理素养有待提高、科研伦理创新治理路径有待拓展等现状，系统分析信息科学、生命健康和新材料三大科学领域代表技术的潜在伦理风险和伦理治理现状，提出浙江省反思性高阶伦理“元治理”路径，包括：促进多元主体协同参与伦理治理、完善特色科技伦理制度文本、加强伦理审查制度建设、健全伦理教育科普制度以及数字化赋能高效管理等，以期促进科技理性驱动共同富裕示范区经济社会发展。     

法庭科学领域科研伦理建设

法庭科学作为特殊的应用性科学,其研究和应用中时有涉及伦理问题,但目前中国尚缺乏法庭科学中科研伦理和行为规范问题的研究,相关伦理审查机构和审查规章仍是空白。从当前法庭科学科研伦理实践出发,针对职业伦理规范建设不足、科研伦理监管缺位以及法庭科学职业特色与伦理要求的冲突进行分析,为法庭科学研究科研伦理管理提出可参考的建议。     

Is there something wrong with intellectual capital management models?

During the recent years the intellectual capital (IC) literature has produced tens of models to support the various IC management (ICM) activities, such as identification, measurement, valuation, acquisition and reporting IC. However, the practice of applying these models seems to be a fairly new issue in many organisations. The gap between research and practice (i.e. not many organisations seem to be applying ICM models) may result from several issues. This paper approaches the gap from two perspectives. First, the paper questions the applicability of ICM models. Second, although IC as a research theme is quite immature many management models that also include some of the aspects of IC have been developed within general management disciplines. Thus, this study examines whether traditional management models may also be suitable for ICM. The two questions are answered by using four single cases in which action research projects were carried out.     

Doing the Right Thing: Ethical Cyberspace Research

With increased use of the Internet and other computer-based communications resources, researchers have begun examining interactions in, and uses of, 'cyberspace.' In considering ways to conduct ethical cyberspace research, some have looked to guidelines in their own disciplines. A potentially useful ethics statement for social science researchers to consider is that of the Association of Computing Machinery. Keeping in mind some of the ACM guidelines, as well as the similarities and differences between cyberspace and other communications media, may help researchers to be aware of their ethical responsibilities in conducting their research. The ACM guidelines, especially in consideration with other communications media, help remind researchers of the technological environment within which the social interactions being studied take place.     

基于文献计量的学术道德研究态势与热点分析

以Web of Science和CNKI核心期刊为数据源,采用文献计量和可视化分析方法,从时间趋势、国家、机构、作者、学科和期刊等角度全景分析国际国内学术道德的研究态势.通过高频关键词及其共现聚类分析,揭示出当前研究热点包括学术规范制定和学术伦理研究、出版学术道德和学术期刊责任研究、学术不端现状和影响因素研究、高校学术...     

科技伦理研究的方法论创新

现代科技的快速发展在为人类社会带来福祉的同时,也带来了巨大的伦理风险与挑战。如何开展系统性的科技伦理研究,推动科技伦理治理体系的构建已成为当前面临的重要问题。科技伦理研究也成为贯通自然科学、技术工程科学、人文社会科学领域的交叉、综合、复杂的智库问题。文章对国内外科技伦理研究现状进行综述和分析,运用智库双螺旋法这一智库理论方法对科技伦理研究框架、过程、逻辑进行论证,并以生命科学和医学伦理研究为案例进行分析,为科技伦理研究提供具有汇聚融合交叉特点的方法论创新。     

构建数字化世界的伦理秩序

伴随着数字化转型和数字中国的建设，一个与现实世界平行的数字世界正在诞生。历史地看，数字塑造了我们对世界和人类自己的认知。数字化转型将进一步拓展人类的认知空间和认知手段，释放生产力，改变人们的思维和行为方式。然而，数字化世界中的人和物的虚拟性与“脱域”特征，引发了数字世界的伦理问题，因此亟待建构和完善数字世界的伦理秩序。文章总结了现有的科技伦理学介入数字化进程的3条路径：对“数据主义”的批判、伦理嵌入算法和道德物化，以及通过法律和政策调控的负责任创新；提出塑造数字化世界的伦理秩序必须提高数字化时代民众参与数字化转型和治理的能力；建议要像花大力气建设数字化基础设施那样，提升数字化时代公众的数字能力。     

Material mastery: situating digital library use in university research practices

In the past several years, researchers in library and information science, computer science and management information systems have claimed that knowledge workers will transform important characteristics of work due to increased access to digital libraries over the Internet. To explore the influence of digital libraries on knowledge work, this study investigated the use of paper and electronic materials by academic researchers in four disciplines at eight US research universities. This study found that at a given point in time, the match between `material mastery' and features of using a particular digital library could explain its use. This paper discusses findings about digital library use, work characteristics and how material mastery explains patterns of digital library use.     

科技期刊注重科技伦理评估的做法及实例分析

【目的】促进科技期刊的正确导向,提升科技期刊对科技伦理的重视程度,加强普通科技期刊进行科技伦理评估的力度。【方法】 阐述了科技期刊重视科技伦理评估的道德意义,提出了科技伦理评估的具体做法。【结果】 发现通过消除伪科技伦理谣言、关注国际科技伦理的热点、刊发前瞻性科技伦理专业论文、结合新闻热点约稿、解疑释惑等方法是科技期刊实现科技论文评估的具体途径。【结果】 科技期刊论文的科技伦理评估还在起步阶段,需要进一步完善伦理委员会的审查、监督体系,提高作者和编辑的科技伦理学意识等等。     

评价交叉科学研究人员的新思路

在当前利用科学计量学工具对研究人员的科研评价中,由于采用的基本是一种基于学科分类的评价方法,这使得交叉科学研究人员处于相对不利的地位。本文以交叉科学研究人员代表钱学森为典型案例,将其与专业领域作者的被引指标进行比较。为解决这一问题,文章最后提出了新的"学科扩散因子"的指标。     

The European Commission report on ethics of connected and automated vehicles and the future of ethics of transportation

The paper has two goals. The first is presenting the main results of the recent report Ethics of Connected and Automated Vehicles: recommendations on road safety, privacy, fairness, explainability and responsibility written by the Horizon 2020 European Commission Expert Group to advise on specific ethical issues raised by driverless mobility, of which the author of this paper has been member and rapporteur. The second is presenting some broader ethical and philosophical implications of these recommendations, and using these to contribute to the establishment of Ethics of Transportation as an independent branch of applied ethics. The recent debate on the ethics of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) presents a paradox and an opportunity. The paradox is the presence of a flourishing debate on the ethics of one very specific transportation technology without ethics of transportation being in itself a well-established academic discipline. The opportunity is that now that a spotlight has been switched on the ethical dimensions of CAVs it may be easier to establish a broader debate on ethics of transportation. While the 20 recommendations of the EU report are grouped in three macro-areas: road safety, data ethics, and responsibility, in this paper they will be grouped according to eight philosophical themes: Responsible Innovation, road justice, road safety, freedom, human control, privacy, data fairness, responsibility. These are proposed as the first topics for a new ethics of transportation.

     

科技伦理视角下的人工智能研究

人工智能在深刻影响人类社会生产生活方式的同时,也引发诸多伦理困境与挑战,建立新的科技伦理规范以推动人工智能更好服务人类,成为全社会共同关注的主题。本文从科技伦理的视角,围绕机器人、算法、大数据、无人驾驶等人工智能领域所出现的伦理主体、责任分担、技术安全、歧视与公平性、隐私与数据保护等问题,以及人工智能技术的伦理治理,对国内外相关研究成果进行回顾分析,并提出未来需要在中国情境下伦理原则与治理体系的建立、人工智能伦理研究的跨学科合作、理论分析与实践案例的融合、多元主体伦理角色分工与协作等方面进行进一步研究。     

中西科学家社会责任之比较——兼论我国科技伦理的特点

我国与西方国家在提出科学家社会责任的背景、履行科学家社会责任的途径、培养科学家社会责任意识的措施等方面存在较大差异。我国由于科学研究活动中违反科学道德的行为日益增多从而使得科学家社会责任问题备受关注,注重科学家通过构建良好的道德自律机制来履行自身的社会责任,强调通过科学家本人培养科学良心来提高社会责任感;而西方国家则由于科学带来诸多负面效应才引发了对于科学家社会责任问题的广泛讨论,通过科学共同体制定准则来规范科学家的科学活动,注重通过专门机构培训科学家道德伦理意识和责任意识。通过比较也不难发现,我国的科技伦理道德仍基本属于学术道德。     

Society-in-the-loop: programming the algorithmic social contract

Recent rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have raised many questions about the regulatory and governance mechanisms for autonomous machines. Many commentators, scholars, and policy-makers now call for ensuring that algorithms governing our lives are transparent, fair, and accountable. Here, I propose a conceptual framework for the regulation of AI and algorithmic systems. I argue that we need tools to program, debug and maintain an algorithmic social contract, a pact between various human stakeholders, mediated by machines. To achieve this, we can adapt the concept of human-in-the-loop (HITL) from the fields of modeling and simulation, and interactive machine learning. In particular, I propose an agenda I call society-in-the-loop (SITL), which combines the HITL control paradigm with mechanisms for negotiating the values of various stakeholders affected by AI systems, and monitoring compliance with the agreement. In short, ‘SITL = HITL + Social Contract.’     

Streams of shared knowledge: computational expansion of knowledge-flow theory

In this article, we investigate empirically the theoretical split between emphases upon specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in the organization – or more generally between exploitation and exploration – a split that divides knowledge-flow theory at present, and hence represents an important issue for knowledge management (KM). We review the relevant literature, articulate hypotheses, and employ computational experimentation to test them empirically. Our findings provide novel, insightful understanding of the factors that contribute toward understanding the relative balance between specialist vs trans-specialist knowledge in particular, and exploitation vs exploration more generally. We offer three main contributions: (1) we critique extant theory relating to the substitutability of specialist and interspecialist knowledge; (2) we offer new conceptual insight and empirical evidence concerning substitutability of these knowledge types in the organization; and (3) we demonstrate the empirical power of computational experimentation to examine KM questions of both theoretical and practical interest.     

Hacking the brain: brain–computer interfacing technology and the ethics of neurosecurity

Brain–computer interfacing technologies are used as assistive technologies for patients as well as healthy subjects to control devices solely by brain activity. Yet the risks associated with the misuse of these technologies remain largely unexplored. Recent findings have shown that BCIs are potentially vulnerable to cybercriminality. This opens the prospect of “neurocrime”: extending the range of computer-crime to neural devices. This paper explores a type of neurocrime that we call brain-hacking as it aims at the illicit access to and manipulation of neural information and computation. As neural computation underlies cognition, behavior and our self-determination as persons, a careful analysis of the emerging risks of malicious brain-hacking is paramount, and ethical safeguards against these risks should be considered early in design and regulation. This contribution is aimed at raising awareness of the emerging risk of malicious brain-hacking and takes a first step in developing an ethical and legal reflection on those risks.