Editors’ Introduction

Computer Ethics is a practical kind of philosophy that is aimed at investigating how computer technologies should be used. It has accompanied the development of these technologies for over half a century. One of the leading figures in this field has been Deborah G. Johnson, whose agenda-setting handbook on Computer Ethics has inspired generations of scholars to explore the new ethical questions that these technologies raise. In 2021, Johnson was awarded the Society of Philosophy of Technology Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding contribution to computer and engineering ethics. In recognition of this award and her research on Computer Ethics, this edited volume brings together philosophers and scholars from other disciplines including computer scientists, cognitive scientists, and STS scholars, who have engaged with Johnson’s extensive body of work. Some of the contributors, such as van den Hoven and Miller, have helped shape the field of computer ethics, while contributors from later generations who benefitted from the work of these trailblazers are following their path and further exploring and expanding on their legacy. The volume seeks to introduce the lessons learned from Computer Ethics to a broader audience of scholars from different disciplines and show how they still resonate in today’s ethical discussions about new emerging computer technologies. Each chapter illustrates how combining philosophy of technology, ethics, and different disciplinary perspectives can help analyze and clarify the complex intricacies of computer technology and societies. The common thread in these chapters is a focus on issues of algorithmic accountability. As the only (for now) full-fledged moral agents, humans are called to action to discuss, propose, negotiate, and implement ethical ways to use computers, which obviously and most importantly include attribution of responsibility when something goes wrong. This introductory chapter situates Johnson’s work within the broader discussion on Computer Ethics and provides short summaries of the contributions to this volume.