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Heuristic Methods for Computer Ethics
Author(s) -
Maner Walter
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
metaphilosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1467-9973
pISSN - 0026-1068
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9973.00231
Subject(s) - deliberation , heuristic , computer science , set (abstract data type) , process (computing) , reliability (semiconductor) , domain (mathematical analysis) , heuristics , management science , artificial intelligence , mathematics , law , political science , engineering , mathematical analysis , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , politics , operating system , programming language
The domain of “procedural ethics” is the set of reflective and deliberative methods that maximize the reliability of moral judgment. While no general algorithmic method exists that will guarantee the validity of ethical deliberation, non‐algorithmic “heuristic” methods can guide and inform the process, making it significantly more robust and dependable. This essay examines various representative heuristic procedures commonly recommended for use in applied ethics, maps them into a uniform set of twelve stages, identifies common faults, then shows how the resulting stage‐by‐stage decision‐making model could be adapted for general use and for use in computer ethics.