Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy pp 516–524 Cite as
Computer and Information Ethics
- Emma Stamm 3
- Reference work entry
- First Online: 16 December 2023
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Introduction
Computer and information ethics are related fields of practical philosophy which address the proper use of computing and information technology. This entry provides an overview of their history and major topics of interest, including those germane to emerging technological and social developments.
World War II and Cybernetics
The roots of computer ethics can be traced to the 1940s. It is a direct descendant of cybernetics, an interdisciplinary field of study which emerged during the Second World War. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, several notable scholars pursued cybernetics research, including engineer Vannevar Bush (1890–1974), mathematician John von Neumann (1903–1957), physiologist Arturo Rosenblueth (1900–1970), mathematician Claude E. Shannon (1916–2001), and mathematician Norbert Wiener (1894–1964), who is credited as the field’s founder (Bynum 2008 ; Hamilton 2017 ). Wiener’s cybernetic theory originated with his work on the design of a new kind of...
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Correspondence to Emma Stamm .
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Regents Professor of the University, System of Maryland and Director of the University of Baltimore Center for International and Comparative Law, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, USA
Mortimer Sellers
Professor for Legal and Social Philosophy, Department of Legal Theory International and European Law, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
Stephan Kirste
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University of Graz, Graz, Austria
Norbert Paulo
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Stamm, E. (2023). Computer and Information Ethics. In: Sellers, M., Kirste, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6519-1_404
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Published : 16 December 2023
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Introduction. Computer and information ethics are related fields of practical philosophy which address the proper use of computing and information technology. This entry provides an overview of their history and major topics of interest, including those germane to emerging technological and social developments.