Ethical Web

Project
makes it
easy to
access
ethics
info.

SANDI DOLBEE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
hink of it as a kind of window to wealth of information orbiting cy-
the World Wide Web of ethics. berspace, sorting through it all ing at a university is that we are lumbia's Centre for Applied Ethics
paid to teach and nurture stu- maintains an index Web site
Interested in "Religion and can be overwhelming.
dents — but also they pay us to (http://www.ethics.-ubc.ca/pa-
Ethics"? Point and click. You soon
Try typing in the word contribute to our profession," says pers/AppliedEthics.html)
with
could be browsing an electronic "ethics" on WebCrawler, Ameri- the
51-year-old professor.
gateways to eight specific ethics
version of the Journal of Buddhist ca Online's search service, for ex-
David Noelle, a member of the
Ethics.
ample. It came back with more national advocacy group Com- subjects and one marked "Mis-
cellaneous." Among the items
How about "Punishment and than 3,000 matches.
puter Professionals for Social Re- found in that last category: codes
the Death Penalty"? Click that
At last count, Mr. Hinman
and, among other things, you'll had set up pathways for nearly sponsibility (CPSR), sees "Ethics of ethics for tennis players and the
find the home page by Dean two dozen ethics subjects — from Updates" as a library resource National Rifle Association.
Paul Lester, an associate pro-
Carter, a death-row inmate at San the theoretical (such as "Kant and that indexes a large amount of in-
Quentin, Calif. ("Dean Man Deontology") to the practical formation for students, teachers fessor of communications at Cal-
and others interested in these is- ifornia State University Fullerton,
Talkie"'). Carter is awaiting exe- ('World Hunger"). Along with his sues.
opened an ethics indexing site in
cution for the murders of four indexing, Mr. Hinman also pro-
`That's exactly the tool that a October (http://www5.fullerton.-
women.
vides recommended additional democratic society needs for edu- edu/les/ethicslisthtml) — and is
"Abortion?" Go ahead, click it. readings and suggestions for dis- cating itself," Mr. Noelle adds.
averaging about a thousand vis-
And scroll down to Pope Paul VI's cussion topics and term papers.
But he and others agree that itors a month.
1968 encyclical on birth control,
That's the way a teacher's the downside is not everyone has
"I think there's a need in peo-
"Humanae Vitae."
mind works.
equal access to this tool. Not ple, and it may be a sign of the
Welcome to "Ethics Updates,"
"Ethics Updates" got started
a Web site that is a virtual diving last August. In its first six months, everyone can afford a computer, times, to get back to some of the
and a modem to go with it.
basic philosophical arguments
board into a cybersea of resources it had about 70,000 visits.
that people have about moral be-
and references about moral issues
And while Mr. Hin-
havior,"
says Mr. Lester.
(http://www.-acusd.edu/ethics/).
man designed it primari-
Mr. Hinman speaks of using
"Ethics Updates" is the cre- ly as a research aid for his
the Web to weave together new
ation of Larry Hinman, a philos- students and other pro-
types of communities: global class-
ophy professor at the University fessors, he suspects that
rooms linking students from
of San Diego. Mr. Hinman got the many of those visitors
around the world; virtual semi-
idea when he began putting the were from rank-and-file
nar rooms, where all that's miss-
bibliographies for the ethics books computer users.
ing is the coffee; and chat rooms
he's written in his computer so he
In a society hurtling
where folks "can try out a new
could update them as new re- at warp speed toward the
idea without having people think
sources became available.
21st century, ethics has
you're a troglodyte." Or at least
But the more he explored cy- become a hot topic. When
not having them think it to your
berspace, the more he realized life ends. When life begins.
face.
that he could link together what Workplace conduct. Plas-
But that brings up a potential
he found, organize it by subject tic or paper at the grocery
problem of another kind.
and then create ways to help his store.
`There is the possibility that
students — and others — access
"It's all stuff we're sort
real, live conversation may get
it on the Web, a part of the Inter- of puzzled about," says
eclipsed because people get so in-
net that allows people to view and Mr. Hinman.
"One of the goals of many volved with on-line," Mr. Hinman
send graphics, text and sounds.
He's gotten e-mail from Spain, working groups in CPSR is to try admits. The key is to realize that
By roving and linking, Mr. Japan, Scandinavia and Canada. to
provide access to these network
Hinman created a Web site that A school board member in Ver- services to everyone," Mr. Noelle the Web is "an adjunct, not a sub-
stitution," for personal interaction.
resembles a trail of electronic mont e-mailed him for help in set-
Phil Agre, assistant professor
bread crumbs, turning research ting up an ethics class for high- says, pointing out that many pub-
lic libraries now have terminals of communication at University
into a series of points and clicks.
school students.
hooked up to the Internet.
of California San Diego, believes
Take "Euthanasia," for ex-
The irony about ethics, says
Updates," meanwhile, it's important to see the informa- (p
c,
ample. Point the arrow at the sub- Hinman, is that while people are isn't "Ethics
the only site of its kind.
tion superhighway as part of a °'
ect and click the mouse.
curious about these issues, they
The on-line search service
Want to read the decision on often aren't comfortable talking Yahoo, for example, has a link larger picture.
"The Internet all by itself c) ,
physician-assisted suicide by the about them with their friends.
that points the way to subjects doesn't solve any problems." Mr. c,
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals?
"We don't live in a kind of so- ranging from medical ethics to Agre explains. "But connecting
co
ul
Keep clicking. Still curious? Check ciety where you can bring it up at media
ethics (http://www.ya-
out "DeatENET," which bills itself a barbecue with your next-door hoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Philos- people is the first step in solving
w
problems."
as "an international archive spe- neighbor," he adds. "Many of these ophy/Ethics)
.
The
media-ethics
The
Net
and
its
Web
open
an-
a_
cializing in all aspects of death and things are touchy issues."
LU
link, leads to, among other things, other door for doing that. E
dying."
Cr)
Hinman estimates he spends a Web site complaining about the
Internet boosters say Web two to three hours a day working bias and insensitivity of the me-
ites such as Mr. Hinman's are on the Web site.
dia in Japan.
Sandi Dolbe writes for Copley
much needed. While there is a
"One of the thin g s about be-
The University of British Co- News Service.

03