Ethics Final Project Part I

ASSIGNMENT: Ethics final project Part I

For your final project, you will develop a blog post and presentation that do three main things:

·                     Describe:

Symantec Connects 40 Cyber Attacks to CIA Hacking Tools Exposed by WikiLeaks.

Source: http://thehackernews.com/2017/04/cia-longhorn-hacking.html

·                     do moral reasoning: 

This is a case that leans towards a reasonable use of tools with the purpose to protect our security where to achieve such goal the CIA is breaking into our systems and other countries as well. The interesting point here is not how they used their tools to conduct cyber-attacks but how much power this institution has over our lives. One could only “get away” with these types of activities if when considering oneself above the law or with the certain ability to camouflage under the law, or manipulate the law per what would be favorable. Almost as if one was wearing the invisibility ring of “The Ring of Gyges” tale story.

·                     contextualize the case by analyzing it from the perspective of a philosopher of your choice (complete with references to specific texts by that philosopher supporting your analysis)

Source: http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/articles/gyges-a.pdf

I chose Glaucon and Socrates because of the moral dilemma presented on “The Ring of Gyges.

First, I’d like to explain what this story is about.:

Glaucon is talking to Socrates about a magical ring that can be used two ways: inward to make the bearer of the ring disappear or outward to reappear. Glaucon explains that “if they were two rings, one to be worn by the just and one by the unjust man, no man can be imagined to be of such an iron nature that he would stand fast in justice. No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, an in all respects be like a God among men.” -

In this context, the actions of the just and unjust people would be the same because they would not have a moral obligation to do things the right way or have to follow the law because they would not be a way to prove they committed a crime because of the power of the ring.