SIGS DATACOM Fachinformationen für IT-Professionals

SOFTWARE MEETS BUSINESS:
The Conference for Software Architecture
Munich, 03 - 07 February 2020

Sessionsdetails

Talk: Do 6.2
Date: Thu, 06.02.2020
Time: 11:00 - 11:45
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Ethical Decisions In A Wicked World: The Role Of Technologists, Entrepreneurs, And Organizations

Time: 11:00 - 11:45
Talk: Do 6.2

 

Software is a key component of solutions for 21st Century problems (as sustainability problems). These problems are often “wicked”, complex, and unpredictable. To provide the best possible solution, software engineers must be prepared to make ethical decisions, thinking critically, and acting systematically. Do we understand the ethical choices and related unintended consequences that these solutions might generate? This talk is a reflection on how we can build new capabilities (and maybe unlearn some) to make sense of world challenges.

Target Audience: Technologists in general, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Change Makers, Students
Prerequisites: None
Level: Introductory

Extended Abstract
In this talk, we will discuss the meaning of wicked problems and current strategies to approach them, since reductionism and solutionism paradigms do not work.
We will discuss ethics and how it brings a crucial set of principles that help us navigate complexity. What are the main ethical issues (on tensions?) that technologists need to be particularly aware of, as they are already generating unintended results in the context of complex global wicked problems.
This discussion leads us to a call to action, when we will take a look in some of the current initiatives that support technologists to deal with wicked problems in a more ethical way. For instance, EthicalOS and Ethical Design.
Our goal is to understand what are the things we can learn (and unlearn) and start (and stop) doing to be better equipped on this journey. Not only as technologists, but as entrepreneurs, leaders of organizations, and society members.