TUTORIAL 1

1. Computers and technology introduce new problems and controversies. What are
your comments? What actions could be taken to overcome the issues you have
mentioned.

2. Do you think that problems and issues were less generations ago, or their
existences appear in different forms due to developments? Give examples to
support your claims.

3. For the technology developments below, discuss the advantages and

disadvantages:

a. Blogs and video sharing

b. E-mail and the Web
c. Cell-phone
d. Social networking and Web connections
e. Collaborative efforts among strangers
f. E-commerce and free stuffs
g. AI, Robotic and motion
h. Tools for disabled people

4. Do you think that technology becomes the sole factor to problems and issues
impacting the society today? Let consider the impacts below:

a. Unemployment
b. Alienation
c. Crimes
d. Loss of privacy
e. Errors

5. Besides analyzing the social problems and issues of developments, other

important areas to consider are decisions making and actions taken.
Increasing dilemmas, concerns and critics of decisions and actions lead to the
developments of ethics and laws. What are your comments about the ethics and
laws?

a. What is ethics?
b. What are the two assumptions of ethical theories? Do you think that these two
assumptions are always true in our interactions, decisions making and actions?
c. What 4 goals that most ethical theories attempt to achieve? Do you think that
these 4 goals are always achievable when actions to meet a decision are
established?
6. What is the emphasis of deontological theories? What are the three main ideas of
Kant to deontological theories?

7. What is the emphasis of consequentialist theory? One main example of this theory
is utilitarianism, and there are several variations of it. Two variations mentioned
are act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. Mention the differences.

8. What is natural rights? Philosophers believed that natural rights come from the
nature or derived from the nature of humanity. What are your comments?

9. Mention several distinctions that are considered helpful in the making of decisions
and human interactions.

10. Is there a relationship between ethical rules and laws? Comment it. What are the
two opinions of people about their obligations and responsibilities to the laws?
When laws are not ready for issues caused by new technologies, what would be
the solution to manage them?