Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough but not what ails me, February 12, 2009
I read both this version and the 3rd edition(had already read the 2nd by the time I found that the 3rd edition was required for my CS280 course, so figured what the hell, since they were different enough to warrant a second reading)
This book is not necessary for anyone who's been living on the internet since the late 90's. If you've been addicted to slashdot, reddit, and other tech-related social websites, it provides nothing but a tangible representation that certain things in the past did actually occur. Those certain things that you may remember well, if you're old enough, or if you've trawled archives of old tech radio shows, old zines, etc. It is a reference, a starting point.
Baase has clearly put a lot of effort into this book, especially the chapter on privacy(which her passion in this issue shows in the depth of discussion), but personally, I didn't really learn anything from it. The ethical issues I've seen before, the technology and specific events mentioned I've almost entirely encountered. It's a sign of the times, however -- 20 years ago books like this were needed to become ethically grounded in the field. Today, it's a footnote.
Save your money, and trawl[...] instead. Join your local 2600 and linux user group, and talk to people in your community. Find out what they are concerned of, aware of, in regards to computer technology, and research it. Because I guarantee the ethical choices that you'll make after interacting with real situations, with real people, and helping people with real problems, the ethical lessons that you will learn, will grossly trump anything this sterile, pinned-butterfly version could.
If you're a historian, this is probably not a bad buy.
I'm tempted to give it more stars for it's thoroughness, but it really wasn't a match for me, so I just can't.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent textbook, unexpectedly thought-provoking, September 8, 2005
This was used as my text book for a graduate level ethics course. I read it cover to cover and found to be well-organized, informative and enlightening. Highly recommended.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and Accessible, August 14, 2002
Because the author's ethics class at SDSU uses this text as a primary source, I may be a bit biased in my judgment of this book. For the class, it was an excellent reference, bringing up interesting points for discussion and showcasing these points with anecdotes -- some humorous, some downright frightening. Baase's writing style is accessible to a wide audience, and even the parts that, by virtue of being part of a textbook, are dry and only mildly interesting are digestible.If you're looking for a book that will give you a general overview of problems associated with computing, this book will hit the spot. Without any noticable bias, it provides information from different perspectives, and even gives fair treatment to Luddites. A good, solid choice.
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