Info Ethics

Having no prior knowledge on this topic one could assume that information ethics was primarily about the use and abuse of information and information technology. Nonetheless there is so much more. One thing that initially really stood out to me was his connection to the human body and what it needs to flourish. He stated that human beings need organized bodies with the parts working together as a whole. If all the parts aren’t integrated or become disconnected the person will not survive. That example makes me think about car. You need all the parts of a car to work and to be working together for the vehicle to work. Another initial thought that came to mind when reading this article was his thoughts on telecommuting . To think that he had this thought before it was even a thing is outstanding.

In the section A good human life and the principles of justice, Bynum (2008) states “like Aristotle, Wiener consider people to be fundamentally social, and so he believed that they must live together in organized communities if they are to have a good life. But society can be very oppressive and stifle human flourishing, rather than encourage it or support it.” That statement resonates with me at a high level because I believe this to be true. Having an education background and having the experience to work in some schools, some students are already at a disadvantage because of how society might portray them based on their cultural beliefs, values and color of their skin. The society is which they live already doesn’t want them to succeed.

Another piece of the reading that stood out to me was in which Wiener analyzed “automatic factories”. I find myself just sitting here thinking about the implications if ever factory was computerized and zero human labor was needed. It was drastically impact the labor force, families and the economy.  I believe that yes, computers and technology are great but computers and technology can easily fail and when that does happen we need people to be present to help.

“To live effectively is to live with adequate information. Thus, communication and control belong to the essence of man’s inner life, even as they belong to his life in society.” Norbert Wiener was the pioneer of cybernetics and this is just the beginning.