Jonathan Bowen
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Index Terms
- The ethics of safety-critical systems
Recommendations
A framework for software safety in safety-critical systems
Software for safety-critical systems must deal with the hazards identified by safety analysis in order to make the system safe, risk-free, and fail-safe. Because human lives may be lost and tremendous economic costs may result if the software fails, the ...
Ethics and the Safety of Computer Systems
Special issue on cryptographyThe issue of responsibility for computer failures in critical systems is addressed, taking medical information systems as an example. Three basic modes of ethical analysis are defined and used to analyze the ethical questions raised for such systems. ...
Moral luck and computer ethics: Gauguin in cyberspace
I argue that the problem of `moral luck' is an unjustly neglected topic within Computer Ethics. This is unfortunate given that the very nature of computer technology, its `logical malleability', leads to ever greater levels of complexity, unreliability ...
Reviews
James Edward Miller
While the typos (I assume not the authors) in two out of the first three sentences might make one nervous the paper is in fact well written and contains valuable information for anyone who produces software. Following a brief introduction, the author introduces "Seven Deadly Sins". Under the headings of Epideictic, Hyperbole, Pistic, Oligarchy, Ephemeral, Epexegesis, and Maiandros (and their respective explanatory subheadings) is an excellent, but brief, discussion of problems and considerations associated with selecting an appropriate technique to apply in the development of safety-critical systems. While the focus is on the development of safety-critical systems it is clearly applicable to a much wider range of projects. The ethics portion of the paper points the reader to the codes of conduct supported by the various professional organizations and in particular presents the code of practice developed in the U.K. for engineers and managers working on safety-related systems. The background and expertise of the team developing safety-critical systems is an essential factor in the success or failure of a project. A set of guidelines is presented which should help assure that both managers and engineers have the right training and skills for the task. "Ultimately, it is unethical to develop software for safety-related systems without following the best practice available." A related paper that I would have liked to have seen referenced is: Collins, Robert W., Keith W. Miller, Bethany J. Spielman, and Phillip Wherry. How good is good enough__?__ An Ethical analysis of software construction and use. Commun. ACM 37, 1(Jan.1994), 81-91.
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