Miami University Ethics in Wealth and Friendship Essay

We discussed a case study on copying (or sharing) software. We also discussed sharing music and videos. Do you believe it is ethical or unethical to copy (or share) software under any circumstances? Did it make a difference that Jennifer provided input? (Our case study was a very specific situation – what is your position about software copying in general?) Defend your position.

Requirements

• Physical requirements of the paper assignment
  • Cover page: separate page with name, course, assignment
  • 3-5 pages
  • Body of paper: double-spaced; no larger than 12 pt font; margins 1” or less
  • Bibliography page (see below)
• Clearly select a position and defend that position; your stance on the main question above should be clearly stated and consistent. Use all three ethical theories as part of your support.
• Cite at least 5 of your classmates (be sure to choose quotes of substance) and list the names and dates in your bibliography.
• Find and use at least 2 peer-reviewed (also referred to as “scholarly”) sources; these must be cited appropriately in the body of your paper. These two sources must be in addition to your book.

• Include a separate Bibliography page at the end of the paper listing sources in MLA style (also list the students that you cite); this does not count towards the page limit for this assignment. All external references must include author, title of article, name of publication, date, and pages.

Below are some questions that you might want to consider in your paper. You are not to answer all of these questions. The questions are designed to help you think about as you determine and defend your position.

• Does someone’s wealth (or lack of wealth) affect your position?
• Does the company that sold the software affect your position?
• Does the type of application (game software, medical software, word processing software, …) affect your position?
• What if it is your friend who is asking you to share the software?
• What if it is your boss?
• Would the ACM code of ethics (or any professional code of ethics) affect your position?
• Would any factor affect your position?
• What are the opposing arguments?
• Did anything in the discussion (in class or discussion board) make you look at this topic from a new angle?
• How does using the ethical theories that we learned in the textbook affect your position?
• Overall, what is the position of your classmates on this topic?

Don’t forget – be creative! Take on the persona of a fictional character, write a play, develop a newsletter, write a letter to yourself from the future, take the opposite stance than the one you really believe, write a posting in your imaginary blog… or any other format you choose that conveys your position clearly, with evidence, student quotes, and citations.