Understanding Information Ethics and Policy: Integrating Ethical Reflection and Critical Thinking into Policy Development

Conway, Paul; Carbo, Toni; Kvasny, Lynette

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Description

Title

Understanding Information Ethics and Policy: Integrating Ethical Reflection and Critical Thinking into Policy Development

Author(s)

• Conway, Paul
• Carbo, Toni
• Kvasny, Lynette

Issue Date

2008-02-28

Keyword(s)

• Information Ethics
• Undergraduate Education
• Information Policy

Abstract

The development and implementation of information policies must begin with an understanding of underlying values, such from different cultural perspectives and points of view. As Capurro reminds us: “As a self-referential process ethics is an unending quest on explicit and implicit use of the moral code, that is to say of respect or disrespect, with regard to individual and social communication. . . .There is, indeed, no unbiased ethical observer. (Capurro et al. 2007, 21). In her work on ethical warrant, Berghtol has noted the importance of understanding context (Beghtol 2002). Her concept of “cultural hospitality” provides a theoretical framework for the ethical warrant of knowledge representation and organization systems, and it helps in representing new knowledge and organizations systems and for revising existing systems, and the diverse cultures to which each individual belongs. Using these two foundations, this paper provides an overview of some of the critical information ethics issues challenging policy makers in government and in organizations. Then, building on policy frameworks and several models for ethical reflection and critical thinking, the paper will describe briefly a case-based learning approach with a model for critical thinking for a proposed undergraduate course on Information Ethics and Policy.

Type of Resource

text

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