西方应用伦理学兴起的思想背景和社会背景

西方应用伦理学研究热潮兴起于20世纪60、70年代。20世纪上半叶，分析哲学在英语国家居于主流地位，分析哲学把伦理学归结为对道德语词的逻辑分析和语言分析，主张不过问现实生活中人们的道德实践。20世纪60、70年代，以逻辑实证主义为代表的正统分析哲学土崩瓦解，元伦理学日益暴露出严重的局限性，这便是西方应用伦理学兴起的思想背景。20世纪60、70年代，西方世界的实际生活要求人们进行理论联系实际的道德反思，现代战争问题、资本主义政治经济制度所面临的新问题、“性革命”所导致的道德问题、现代医学以及现代高科技所引起的人伦关系问题、环境问题等讨论都要求伦理学的介入，这便是应用伦理学产生的社会历史背景。     

Mapping the foundationalist debate in computer ethics

The paper provides a critical review of thedebate on the foundations of Computer Ethics(CE). Starting from a discussion of Moor'sclassic interpretation of the need for CEcaused by a policy and conceptual vacuum, fivepositions in the literature are identified anddiscussed: the ``no resolution approach',according to which CE can have no foundation;the professional approach, according to whichCE is solely a professional ethics; the radicalapproach, according to which CE deals withabsolutely unique issues, in need of a uniqueapproach; the conservative approach, accordingto which CE is only a particular appliedethics, discussing new species of traditionalmoral issues; and the innovative approach,according to which theoretical CE can expandthe metaethical discourse with a substantiallynew perspective. In the course of the analysis,it is argued that, although CE issues are notuncontroversially unique, they are sufficientlynovel to render inadequate the adoption ofstandard macroethics, such as Utilitarianismand Deontologism, as the foundation of CE andhence to prompt the search for a robust ethicaltheory. Information Ethics (IE) is proposed forthat theory, as the satisfactory foundation forCE. IE is characterised as a biologicallyunbiased extension of environmental ethics,based on the concepts of information object/infosphere/entropy rather thanlife/ecosystem/pain. In light of the discussionprovided in this paper, it is suggested that CEis worthy of independent study because itrequires its own application-specific knowledgeand is capable of supporting a methodologicalfoundation, IE.