ENGR 482 Final Exam With
Complete Solution
What is an "artifact"? - ANSWER any object intentionally created by humans
What is the Common Sense View? - ANSWER man-made objects are mere
tools used by humans
so artifacts have no moral properties
you cannot blame a bomb...the type of entities that are right/wrong are
actions performed by human beings
What is the Strong View? - ANSWER believes that artifacts do have moral
properties
What are the subsets of the Strong View? - ANSWER Bruno Latour- "morality
is inside the things"... Actor/Network Theory attributes moral relevance to
artifacts whose existence perpetuates moral values, so some combinations of
objects and subjects should be thought of as the same entity
Langdon Winner-claims that low overpasses etc. "embody a systematic social
inequality" that becomes "part of the landscape"...social inequality is a moral
value, so if this is part of the landscape then technological artifacts embody
morality
Peter-Paul Verbeek-"moral agency is distributed over both humans and
technological artifacts"... no boundary between humans and technology (like
Latour)...but many technological artifacts blur the distinction between
subject and object so should ascribe moral agency to hybrid entities
,consisting of both subjects and objects
According to the "Common Sense View," technological artifacts take on
moral properties when used for good or evil by human beings
T/F - ANSWER F
this view holds that artifacts have no moral properties in themselves
The difference between the "Common Sense" and "Strong" views toward the
morality of technological artifacts is a matter of the degree to which people
blame artifacts for immoral actions
T/F - ANSWER F
not a matter of degree, rather fundamental difference between views
regarding whether artifacts can be held morally responsible for certain
actions
Bruno Latour, reflecting the "Strong View" toward technological artifacts,
believed artifacts are morally considerable because they work as actants
alongside human beings in a responsible network.
T/F - ANSWER T
Latour calls artifacts "actants" in an "Actor Network," the constituents of
which form one and the same entity that is responsible for certain actions
Which of the following statements best represents the "Strong View" toward
the morality of technological artifacts?
a. A war ship is culpable for immoral acts insofar as it was designed for
violent purposes
b. Humans and technological artifacts form an inseparable unit that is itself
,morally responsible in action
c. Technological artifacts should be held to a separate moral standard that is
nonetheless analogous to human responsibility
d. One should question the morality of certain artifacts if they were designed
by immoral persons - ANSWER b
It is to this unit that we should attribute moral responsibility, rather than
distinguishing between the human agent and the artifact
Why are Robert Moses' architectural designs indicative of Langdon Winner's
view of the moral properties of artifacts (ie the "Strong View")?
a. his designs were enacted by a government that did not protect civil rights
of all citizens
b. moral values are built into his designs, which come to embody these
values
c. his designs were build with racist intention
d. exploited labor was used in the construction of his designs - ANSWER b
The fact that Moses' designs embody moral values eliminates the distinction
the Common Sense View draws between human agents and artifacts
What is the Moderate View? - ANSWER Christian Illies, Anthonie Meijers
"attributes moral relevance to artifacts without making them morally
responsible/accountable for their effects"
should not believe that technological artifacts are/can be a part of a moral
agent (so not part of a subject or morally responsible)...but do have moral
relevance (beyond affecting outcomes)
, technological artifacts create new available actions...by introducing new
actions people get new reasons for action
Which of the following is true according to the "Moderate View" toward
technological artifacts?
a. this view attributes limited accountability to artifacts
b. none of these are true
c. artifacts affect what choice of actions are available to us
d. artifacts can give us reasons to do things we couldn't do before
e. artifacts are not morally relevant beyond their causal role in actions -
ANSWER c, d
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns don't kill people, people kill people - ANSWER common sense
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns are just as responsible as the people who use them to commit immoral
acts - ANSWER strong
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns should not be manufactured because they give people the ability to
commit immoral acts - ANSWER moderate
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Building more greenhouse gas-emitting power plants is immoral because it
will enable us to contribute even more to global warming - ANSWER
moderate
Complete Solution
What is an "artifact"? - ANSWER any object intentionally created by humans
What is the Common Sense View? - ANSWER man-made objects are mere
tools used by humans
so artifacts have no moral properties
you cannot blame a bomb...the type of entities that are right/wrong are
actions performed by human beings
What is the Strong View? - ANSWER believes that artifacts do have moral
properties
What are the subsets of the Strong View? - ANSWER Bruno Latour- "morality
is inside the things"... Actor/Network Theory attributes moral relevance to
artifacts whose existence perpetuates moral values, so some combinations of
objects and subjects should be thought of as the same entity
Langdon Winner-claims that low overpasses etc. "embody a systematic social
inequality" that becomes "part of the landscape"...social inequality is a moral
value, so if this is part of the landscape then technological artifacts embody
morality
Peter-Paul Verbeek-"moral agency is distributed over both humans and
technological artifacts"... no boundary between humans and technology (like
Latour)...but many technological artifacts blur the distinction between
subject and object so should ascribe moral agency to hybrid entities
,consisting of both subjects and objects
According to the "Common Sense View," technological artifacts take on
moral properties when used for good or evil by human beings
T/F - ANSWER F
this view holds that artifacts have no moral properties in themselves
The difference between the "Common Sense" and "Strong" views toward the
morality of technological artifacts is a matter of the degree to which people
blame artifacts for immoral actions
T/F - ANSWER F
not a matter of degree, rather fundamental difference between views
regarding whether artifacts can be held morally responsible for certain
actions
Bruno Latour, reflecting the "Strong View" toward technological artifacts,
believed artifacts are morally considerable because they work as actants
alongside human beings in a responsible network.
T/F - ANSWER T
Latour calls artifacts "actants" in an "Actor Network," the constituents of
which form one and the same entity that is responsible for certain actions
Which of the following statements best represents the "Strong View" toward
the morality of technological artifacts?
a. A war ship is culpable for immoral acts insofar as it was designed for
violent purposes
b. Humans and technological artifacts form an inseparable unit that is itself
,morally responsible in action
c. Technological artifacts should be held to a separate moral standard that is
nonetheless analogous to human responsibility
d. One should question the morality of certain artifacts if they were designed
by immoral persons - ANSWER b
It is to this unit that we should attribute moral responsibility, rather than
distinguishing between the human agent and the artifact
Why are Robert Moses' architectural designs indicative of Langdon Winner's
view of the moral properties of artifacts (ie the "Strong View")?
a. his designs were enacted by a government that did not protect civil rights
of all citizens
b. moral values are built into his designs, which come to embody these
values
c. his designs were build with racist intention
d. exploited labor was used in the construction of his designs - ANSWER b
The fact that Moses' designs embody moral values eliminates the distinction
the Common Sense View draws between human agents and artifacts
What is the Moderate View? - ANSWER Christian Illies, Anthonie Meijers
"attributes moral relevance to artifacts without making them morally
responsible/accountable for their effects"
should not believe that technological artifacts are/can be a part of a moral
agent (so not part of a subject or morally responsible)...but do have moral
relevance (beyond affecting outcomes)
, technological artifacts create new available actions...by introducing new
actions people get new reasons for action
Which of the following is true according to the "Moderate View" toward
technological artifacts?
a. this view attributes limited accountability to artifacts
b. none of these are true
c. artifacts affect what choice of actions are available to us
d. artifacts can give us reasons to do things we couldn't do before
e. artifacts are not morally relevant beyond their causal role in actions -
ANSWER c, d
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns don't kill people, people kill people - ANSWER common sense
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns are just as responsible as the people who use them to commit immoral
acts - ANSWER strong
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Guns should not be manufactured because they give people the ability to
commit immoral acts - ANSWER moderate
Common Sense, Strong, or Moderate?
Building more greenhouse gas-emitting power plants is immoral because it
will enable us to contribute even more to global warming - ANSWER
moderate
