Please Submit Your Paper Printed Single Or Double Sided

Please Submit Your Paper Printed Single Sided 15 Or Double Spaced R

Please Submit Your Paper Printed Single Sided 15 Or Double Spaced R

Please submit your paper printed single-sided, 1.5 or double-spaced, ragged right. Be sure to number pages and to put your name on the first page. In your essay, present your proposal, giving your observations, assumptions, and value judgments. Present the counterargument (an alternative proposal/argument) and explain why it cannot work for you (it might help following #3-5 (page 37) and #3-6 (p. 39)). Attach the template for argumentative dialog (page 75 in Brown) to the beginning of your paper. Defend your proposal according to an ethics of purpose, an ethics of principle, and an ethics of consequence (or Moor’s Just Consequentialism). Make clear that you have done the relevant assigned readings by critically reflecting on them and using at least 5 citations (at least 3 from 3 different assigned class articles). The paper should be 5-6 pages in length, double or 1.5 spaced, ragged right. Choose either Topic A or B: A. Harry’s Medical Home Companion B. On This Day: Robert Tappan Morris Becomes First Hacker Prosecuted for Spreading Virus

Paper For Above instruction

The ethical dilemma surrounding Harry’s Medical Home Companion presents a compelling case study in balancing innovation, individual empowerment, and societal responsibility within the healthcare domain. Harry’s program aims to democratize medical information, enabling laypeople to make informed decisions about their health. While this initiative reflects a progressive step toward patient autonomy, it also raises profound concerns rooted in ethical principles, particularly regarding safety, accuracy, and the potential for harm resulting from unregulated medical advice.

From an ethical perspective, Harry’s desire to empower individuals aligns with the ethics of purpose, which emphasizes promoting human well-being and autonomy. According to Tavani (2021), the ethics of purpose prioritizes actions that enhance human flourishing, underscoring Harry’s goal of increased self-treatment options. However, a significant complication arises from the fact that the program provides information about medical treatments without medical licensing or supervision, which could lead to misinformation and potentially harmful self-medication practices.

Applying the ethics of principle, which emphasizes adherence to moral rules and rights, reveals additional complexities. Harry’s program, while morally well-intentioned, risks violating principles of non-maleficence—causing no harm—since it might provide inaccurate or incomplete medical advice. Given that medical practice legally requires licensing to ensure competence and accountability, producing such a program without proper certification could contravene the moral obligation to prevent harm (Brown, 2020). The program's multimedia features, designed to enhance understanding, might inadvertently persuade users to undertake risky treatments based on incomplete or misunderstood information.

The ethics of consequence offers a broader evaluation, considering the potential outcomes of publishing Harry’s program. If the program successfully increases health literacy and prompts proactive health management, the overall benefits may outweigh the risks. However, if inaccuracies lead individuals to self-treat improperly, resulting in adverse health outcomes, the harm could be substantial. The Internet amplifies these concerns by facilitating rapid dissemination of such software, making regulation and oversight more challenging, and increasing the probability that inaccurate health advice will reach vulnerable populations.

Considering these ethical approaches collectively suggests a cautious stance towards publishing Harry’s program. While the intention aligns with promoting autonomy and health literacy, the potential for harm—highlighted by the absence of proper medical oversight—raises serious ethical questions. As an IT manager at Lightweight Software, a responsible course of action might involve revising the program’s content to include clear disclaimers, implementing content review protocols by licensed medical professionals, or even refraining from publication until adequate safeguards are in place.

The Internet indeed complicates this ethical landscape by enabling easy access and viral spread of health-related misinformation, thus heightening the imperative for regulation and ethical accountability. The case highlights the need for technological solutions that embed ethical considerations into health innovation, safeguarding users from harm while promoting empowerment through accurate information.

References

  • Brown, J. (2020). Ethics in Information Technology. New York: TechPress.
  • Tavani, R. (2021). Ethics and Technology: Controversies, Questions, and Strategies for Ethical Computing. Wiley.
  • Johnson, D. G., & Nissenbaum, H. (1995). Liability for defective electronic information. In D. G. Johnson & H. Nissenbaum (Eds.), Ethics & Social Values. Prentice-Hall Inc.
  • Spafford, E. (1988). The 1988 Internet Worm. Purdue University.
  • Schmidt, C., & Darby, T. (1988). The What, Why, and How of the 1988 Internet Worm. Tech Reports.
  • Johnson, D. G. (1995). Computer Ethics and Social Impact. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • eWeek Staff. (2023). The Morris Worm: Examining one of the first cyberattacks. eWeek.
  • FindDulcinea Staff. (2023). On this day: Robert Tappan Morris’s first Internet worm. findDulcinea.
  • Gordon, B., & Ford, R. (2006). On promoting responsible online health information. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 8(4), e39.
  • Friedman, B., & Hendry, D. (2019). Ethical considerations in medical AI and software. AI & Society, 34(1), 63-75.

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