Virtue and Technology
Tue, Aug 29
Today we'll learn about virtue ethics, an area of study in philosophy that the University of Notre Dame is well known for. Virtue ethics has a distinct advantage over other ethical frameworks in that it's a practical way to live one's life without complicated formulas or hand-wringing about the edge cases that occur with other ethical frameworks. We'll also get a crash course on peer dialogue, which will be helpful for running your peer dialogue groups.
We have two main in-class learning goals. By the end of lecture today you will:
- Understand the Virtue Ethics mode of analysis, along with its strengths and weaknesses when applied to ethical dilemmas in technology
- Learn the basics of good Peer Dialogue, including why it's different from a debate or other forms of argumentation. You will also learn how to ask Strong Questions to your peers.
The slides for today's lecture.
The guide to dialogue is available here.
Read This:
Aristotle on decision making and virtue: The Best Action is the One That Exercises the Mind's Faculties.
Shannon Valor on Technology and the Virtues: Envisioning the Good Life in the 21st Century and Beyond (Introduction)
Gary Gutting on the philosophy of work: What is Work Really For?
Do This:
Dialogue Group Formation Deadline is Today
One person in your group needs to send a slack message or email to Ellen (ejoyce3@nd.edu) with each group member’s name and email address by 3pm.
If you don’t know anyone in the class and need help finding a group, or if you are looking for additional group members, talk to Ellen.
Writing Reflection 00
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 9/5 at 5pm.
Reading Quiz 01
The form for Reading Quiz 01 follows below. If you can't see the form below, try this direct link.