Question

To what extend are IT professionals responsible for the surgery accuracy of robots they program?

students should provide an answer to the ethical dilemma through the lens of each of the ethical theories presented in lectures. These include utilitarianism, deontology, social contract theory, character-based ethics.

Answer 1

The ergonomic benefits of robotic surgery may also impact surgeons' stress and fatigue. Robotic surgery removes the awkward and unnatural movements required during laparoscopy and the surgeon is able to sit down comfortably at the console, potentially reducing physical stress and associated fatigue.

UTILITARIANISM:

Utilitarianism is a moral theory that advocates actions that promote overall happiness or pleasure and rejects actions that cause unhappiness or harm. A utilitarian philosophy, when directed to making social, economic, or political decisions, aims for the betterment of society.

DEONTOLOGY:

In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek deon, "obligation, duty") is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action.

SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY:

In moral and political philosophy, the social contract is a theory or model that originated during the Age of Enlightenment and usually concerns the legitimacy of the authority of the state over the individual. Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority (of the ruler, or to the decision of a majority) in exchange for protection of their remaining rights or maintenance of the social order.

CHARACTER-BASED ETHICS:

Virtue ethics is person rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular actions.