Anmeldung: Ethics in Science - Big Data [ENG]

Credit points: 0,5

Registrations of doctoral researchers will be considered preferentially.
Attendance at an introductory ethics course is not mandatory.

Big Data approaches change our understanding of social norms, because they pressure the concepts of individuality and autonomy. Previously vague or unknown patterns (i.e., of collective behavior) are revealed, become partially predictable and exploitable. This is especially true where decision-making and action competences are technically supported or completely (and sometimes insidiously) outsourced to external providers. So, robust data has become a valuable resource worth mining.

How should we deal with these developments? How can we reasonably interpret and further guarantee individuality, solidarity, and privacy today? We want to (i) deal with these questions during the seminar, (ii) critically reflect on our own positions and (iii) discursively search together for answers to these central contemporary questions.

Completion of the mandatory preparatory tasks is a prerequisite for participation in the course.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate ethical decision levels
• Adapt general normative questions for specific use cases
• Strengthen self-reflection
• Reflect on the meaning of autonomy
• Recognize and analyze societal challenges of big data