Ethics for Nerds

Most importantly: It goes without saying that discussions should be fair, open-minded, constructive, and friendly. You should expect that others will criticise your points but you should never feel unwelcome in your group. If you do not feel comfortable in your group or become witness of an incident that concerns you, do not hesitate to reach out to us!

 

Discussion questions

Week 1

• What is the right thing to do in the different variants of the Trolley Problem?
• What ought Tim, the manager from the first set of training exercises, to do?
• Is it important that Computer Scientists take a course like Ethics for Nerds?

Week 2

• How intuitive do you find consequentialism and why?
• How could the, in your opinion, best 'specific relation' look?
• What would you do in a Prisoner's Dilemma if you knew that you would never again interact with the other player and that nobody else would ever learn what you did? What would be the moral thing to do? What should you do in order to optimize your own outcome?
• Which things do you consider intrinsically or extrinsically valueable? Can you give a reason, why?

Week 3 and 4

• How intuitive do you find Scanlon?
• How intuitive do you find Kant?
• With which rules/common practices in our current world would the people in the original position disagree?
• (Advanced) Looking back at the lectures on consequentialism: Is rule consequentialism really a form of consequentialism or is it rather a deontological kind of theory?

Week 5

• How intuitive do you find Virtue Theory?
• Which ethical theory do you find most promising, and why?

Week 6

• Issue 3 on Training Sheet PT1 and Issue 4 on Training Sheet PT2
• Issue 1 on Training Sheet PT2

 

Discussion FAQ

What do we have to do?
You should discuss – and that’s already basically it. You can pick almost any topic that you like, as long as it has something to do with ethics (or philosophy in general). (Discussing the questions “Which policy should we implement in autonomous cars?” or “Are we obliged to donate more?” is ok, because they both have ethical aspects to them. But discussing “Is EMACS or VIM better?” or “What’s your favourite gaming console?” is not.) Each week, we give you a few questions to get inspiration from. If you are not sure whether your question still qualifies as an ethics question: don't worry! If it interests you, just go ahead with your discussion.

How long should a meeting be?
We recommend an hour, but they can also be longer or shorter. However, they should be at least 60 mins if you want to hand in a Discussion Protocol.

Do we have to stick to one question in a session?
No, you can also go on to another question if you feel that one question has been discussed thoroughly enough.

Do we have to discuss? What else can we do?
No, you do not have to discuss. You can also meet to just do the training exercises together or to talk about questions you might have about the lecture content. (Though the Office Hours is the perfect spot to ask the latter.)
If you plan on handing in a discussion protocol of the session, you will need to discuss some question that is course- or ethics-related.

What if members drop out of our group?
If you have less than three people, you will need to get in touch with Sarah.

Do I have to participate in every group meeting?
You should do so, but we have no way of controlling that. You will only get the exam admission if you are present in at least three out of the four discussions on the Discussion Protocols. You will get the exam admission if your group submits four discussion protocols and these protocols are accepted. If you see that cannot make that, get in touch with us as soon as possible. In this case it is also ok to hand in more discussion protocols.

How do we have to fill in the discussion protocols?
Just fill in your team number (from your personal status page), the number of the protocol (i.e. is it your first, second, third, or fourth protocol?), and the date and duration of your meeting. Write down which question(s) you discussed and summarize the most important points or arguments from the discussion. You do not have to write down who said what. Also, you do not have to arrive at a verdict in the end. It is also ok if you agree to disagree on certain matters.  

Do we have a deadline for the discussion protocols?
Yes, you can see them in the calendar.

Do we have to stick to our assigned time slot?
No, you can meet at any time, as long as all group members are fine with that time.

 

Office Hour FAQ

What are the Office Hours for and why are they scheduled at the same time as the default time slots for the discussion?
Office Hours are for asking questions. We do not prepare anything for Office Hours, but we are just there to answer your questions. The time slots are the same as the default time slots for your discussions because we thought that it might come in handy sometimes that you can briefly talk to one of us if any questions arise during your meetings.

Do I have to stick to the Office Hours slot that I was assigned?
No, you do not! You can come to any Office Hour you like. If you want to, you can even come to all four Office Hours in a week.