Description

A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet, 4e is ideal for courses in Computer Ethics and Computers and Society.
Sara Baase explores the social, legal, philosophical, ethical, political, constitutional, and economic implications of computing and the controversies they raise. With a computer scientist's perspective, and with historical context for many issues, she covers the issues students will face both as members of a technological society and as professionals in computer-related fields. A primary goal is to develop computer professionals who understand the implications of what they create and how it fits into society at large.

Features

• Focus on solutions to computer-related problems from technology and from markets, management, and law.
• Discussion of how computers change established institutions and conventions.
• Comparison of the risks and problems of computer technology with other technologies and non-computerized alternatives.
• Historical background on many issues.
• Analysis of ethical issues facing today's computer professionals.
• Wide range of topics, including some not covered in similar texts.
• Coverage of current issues and controversies, from multiple perspectives.
• Problem-solving approach.
• Many examples from real incidents and cases.
• The Appendix features two professional codes of ethics for computer science professionals.
• Shaded 'boxes' that describe examples, cases, or historical background.
• Roughly 350 exercises including review questions, essay questions, activities, and questions for class discussion.
  
  • The extensive amount of exercises, many of which are based on real cases, provides a wealth of options for classroom discussion, term paper topics, and further study.