Background:...

Background:

Whenidentifyingethicalissuesandcraftingsolutionstothese,itisimportanttorecognizethesystemwithinwhichweareoperating.Listingthecomponentsofthesystemandvisualizingtherelationshipsbetweenthemcanaidthedevelopmentofeffectivesolutions;arequirementofmanyethicalapproaches/principles.Doingsocanalsohelpusavoidunintended,negativesecondaryortertiaryconsequencesassociatedwithourdecisions.

Inthisassignment,youwillneedtodevelopacausalloopdiagram(CLD)thatcapturesthedynamicsassociatedwithyoursocialimpactanalysistopic.Youwillneedto,ineffect,visualizeanddescribethesystem.Thisshouldfacilitatethedevelopmentofanuancedanddefensibleapplicationofvirtueethicstoyourtopic.

RecallthataCLDisanidealized,graphicalrepresentationofasystemanditscausaldynamics.Giventhatthisidealizedrepresentationisalsoasimplifiedversionoftheactualsystem,youwillneedtomakecarefulanddeliberatechoicesaboutwhichvariablesyouinclude,whichyoudonot,and,critically,why.Youalsoneedtobeclearandexplicitaboutwhattimehorizonyouadopt.AgoodCLDshouldbeunderstandabletothenon-expert.Itshouldalsobeuseable.Forexample,theCLDshouldforecasthowaninterventionintendedtoimprovethesystem(vis-à-visethicaloutcomes)islikelytoplayoutinthesystem;includingsecondaryandtertiaryimpacts.

IrecommenddraftinganinitialhanddrawnCLDandthencreatingoneusingVensimforsubmission(seelinkbelow).

PartI:DevelopaCausalLoopDiagram

WorkflowforDevelopingaCausalLoopDiagram:

• Identifythemostsignificantvariablesinyoursystem.Thiscanincludestakeholders,rawmaterialsources,productionfacilities,disposalsites,etc.Ahelpfulplacetobeginistothinkaboutthesystemiccontextyourtechnology(topic)isbeingdeployedin.Howdoesthesystembehavewithoutthetechnology?Howwillthetechnologypositivelyandnegativelyimpactthestructureanddynamicsofthesystem?


• Whereoneexists,identifytherelationshipbetweenvariablesincludingimportantdetailssuchasdirectionofinfluence.IstheinfluencebetweenvariablesAandB,forexample,unilateral?Bilateral?DoesAactproportionallyonB(e.g.,asAincreases,sodoesBor,asAdecreasessodoesB)?Inversely?Indicatethedirectionofinfluenceusingpositive(+)andnegative(-)signsrespectively.Gothroughthisprocessineachinstancewherethereisacausalrelationshipbetweenvariables.


• Identifyfeedbackloopsandclassify/labeltheseaseitherreinforcingorbalancingloops.


• Reviewyourcausalloopdiagramforanysystemarchetypes–doyouseeanyfamiliarpatterns?Ifso,identifythese.


• Arethereanyfeedbackdelays?Theseareimportanttoidentifywhenthinkingaboutthedynamicsofthesystemaswellaspotentialleveragepoints.

Instructions:

• Completeacausalloopdiagramfollowingthestepsabove;preferablyinVensim.


• Format
  
  
  1. PreferablycreatedinVensimandcopy-pasted(fromLockview)intoaWorddocument(seeBurgessetalarticleforexampleofthis).Pleasenote:Iwillalsoacceptaneat,hand-drawndiagramthatiscolorcodedandpastedintoyourWorddocumentasapicture.Thediagramneedstobeinsertedabovethewriteup.YourdiagramandwriteupmustbesubmittedinoneWorddocument.
  
  
  2. Pleaseusebluelinestoindicateproportionalrelationships(i.e.arrows)andredlinestoindicateinverserelationships(i.e.arrows).Includeapositivesignatthearrowheadofbluelinesandanegativesignatthearrowheadofredlines.Thatis,youmustindicateinfluencepolaritywitheitherapositiveornegativesign.
  
  
  3. LabelreinforcingloopswithanRinthecenteroftheloopandbalancingloopswithaBinthecenteroftheloop.Whenthereismorethanoneofeither,labelasR1,R2,etc.and/orB1,B2,etc.
  
  
  4. Whereappropriate,identifyfeedbackdelays.Pleaseusedoubleparallellinestoindicatethese.
  
  
  
  

PartII:DiagramDiscussion(approximately800words)

YourCLDshouldbesuchthatyoudonotneedtoexplainwhyyouchoseeachvariableandtherelationshipsbetweenthem.Thatis,thecausallogicshouldbeclearbasedonreviewingthediagramalone.Yourdiscussioninthispart,then,shouldfocusonsignificantaspectsofthediagram.Somequestionstoconsiderinclude(butarenotlimitedto):

• Whichfeedbackloopsareparticularlyimportantandwhy?


• Whichdelaysshouldthereaderpayattentionandwhattheimplicationsforinterventionsintendedtoimprovethesystem?


• Arethereanyarchetypepatternsinplay?Istherethepotentialforanarchetypetoemerge?


• Whataretheleveragepointsinthesystem?Thatis,wherecanoneinterveneinthesystemtocreatedesiredchangesinit?Leveragepointswherearelativelysmallamountofeffortleadstosignificantchangesinthesystemareparticularlyimportanttoidentifyanddiscuss.Howcanthesebeusedtoenhanceethicaloutcomesforsystemstakeholders?

Instructions:

1. Yourdiscussionofthedynamicsofthesystemshouldbeinformedbytheresearchyouhavecompiledonyourtopic.PleasemakesuretoincorporateandcitethesourcesyoupulledonyourSIAtopic.SeeFormatsectionbelowforrequiredcitationstyle.


2. Yourdiscussionshouldalsoaddressa)who/whatcountsasastakeholderandwho/whatdoesnotandb)thetimehorizonadoptedforthemodel.Inotherwords,yourdiscussionshouldaddresswho/whatyousaycountsandoverwhattimeperiod.


3. Yourdiscussionshouldbebriefbutinformativeregardingthenoteworthydynamicsofthesystemasyouhavemodeledit.Thisincludesimportantfeedbackloops,noteworthydelays,and/oractual(orpotential)archetypicalbehavior.


4. Identifyanddiscussatleastoneleveragepointinthesystem.

PartIII:ApplicationofNormativeEthics(approximately700words)

Therearemultiplewaystoframethepositiveandnegativeimplicationsofagiventechnology.Inthisassignment,youwillusesomenormativeethicalframeworkasthetheoreticalbackdropagainstwhichtheseimplicationswillbeanalyzedandassessed.Inthiscourse,wehavespentthemosttimeexploringvirtueethics.Onthisframework,ausefulandimportantplacetobeginisbyexamininghowthetechnologyyouhavechosenimpactstheeudaimoniaofthestakeholdersinvolved.Youcanthinkabout,forexample,howthepositiveandnegativeconsequences(e.g.,benefitsanddrawbacks)associatedwithyourtechnologyimpactstakeholders;oftenthesecanenhanceorinterferewiththepursuitofahappy(eudaimon)life.However,ifyouthinkthatadifferentnormativeethicalframework--forexample,consequentialism('utilitarianism')--ismoreaptforyourtechnology,that'sperfectlyfine,butchatwithmefirst.(ItiscommonwhenthinkingabouttheethicsofAItouseconsequentialismasone'sframework.)Onthisoption,youshouldthinkabouthowthetechnologywillmaximizewell-beingforallthestakeholders--however'well-being'isdefined--orwhetherthetechnologymightreducewell-being.

Fromhere,then,youwillidentifyandapplyonevirtuethatyouthinkisespeciallyrelevanttotheengineers/computerscientistsmakingdecisionsaboutthistechnology.Whatisthevirtuousdecisionwithrespecttothetechnologyandwhy?Finally,yourdiscussionshouldincorporatetheinsightsdevelopedfromtheCLD.RecallthatAristotelianvirtueethicsrequiresbothrightmotivationandefficacy.Efficacyrequiresunderstandingthesystemthatoneisoperatingwithin.

Instructions:

1. Examinehowyourtechnologyimpactsthehappiness(i.e.,eudaimonia)ofthevariousstakeholdersinvolved.Notesomeoneorsomethingcountsasastakeholderiftheyareaffectedbythetechnologyeveniftheyarenottheintendeduser/beneficiary.


2. Identifyavirtuethatyouthinkisespeciallyrelevanttotheengineers/computerscientistswhoaredecidingifandhowtodeploythetechnologyyouareanalyzing.Youshoulddefinewhatthevirtueis,whyitisimportanttoengineers/computerscientists,andwhatextremes(i.e.,excessanddeficiency)itavoids.


3. Discusswhatthevirtueyouhavechosenhastosayaboutthetechnology.Whatisthevirtuousthingtodoaccordingtothevirtueandwhy?YourdiscussionshoulddrawoninsightsfromyourCLD(virtuerequiresrightefficacyaswellasrightmotivation).Ifyouchooseconsequentialismasanormativeframework,youshouldstillfollowthisstep;remember,everynormativetheoryhasaroleforthevirtues,evenifnotafoundationalrole.
   
   

FormatforWrittenPortionsofAssignment:

1. Yourentirewrite-upshouldbeapproximately1,500wordsinlength.Significantshortfallsaretypicallyasignofunderdevelopment.Significantoveragesoftenindicatetheneedtobemoreconciseandfocused.


2. YoushoulddrawonthesourcesyoupulledforyourSIAresearchaswellasthosecoveredintheclass.Regardlessofthesource,anyideaorinsightthatyouusethatisnotyourownneedstobecited.Thisistrueforparaphrasedmaterialaswellasdirectquotes.YouarerequiredtouseAPAcitationformatinthisassignment(bothin-textcitationandworkscited).Pleasenote,yourworkscitedlistdoesnotapplytothewordcountlimit.


3. Pleaseuse12pt.TimesNewRoman,Calibri,orArialtypefont.