For ethical reflection, establish a clear technical foundation

Abstract

PurposeThis viewpoint aims to highlight the necessarily technical nature of ethics in software development, propose a label (ethical bypassing) for ethical analysis that does not lead to ethical action and introduce a philosophical foundation for technical analysis that leads to ethical software development.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach is one of technical analysis that is aware of social science and philosophical knowledge bases.FindingsThe findings establish a clear technical foundation that is crucial to ethical analysis that will actually inform software development.Research limitations/implicationsThe idea that beginning with technical expertise is the best way to begin ethical reflection on a technical implementation has been often suggested, but not really empircally tested. Research using cases or other qualitative approaches would need to be done to add credibility to the claim.Practical implicationsThis approach suggests that collaboration between technically informed ethicists and ethically informed technical experts should begin with the exploration of the technical questions rather than with ethical speculation.Social implicationsA common approach to ethical education is to concentrate on ethical theory and its application in technical contexts. This approach suggests that this may lead to ethical bypassing by the student, the avoidance of the making technical decisions by extensive ethical reflection.Originality/valueThis paper introduces a new term, ethical bypassing, to the literature on the ethics of software development.