As we're currently polishing our final paper, Sohini and I are both close to achieving a new personal milestone in our academic journey-writing our first humanities research report. Throughout the two months of our investigation in ethical issues with malware, not only have we developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the values humanities research brings, but also a new worldview in examining problems. Whereas both of us are used to crunching numbers and making graphs for research, our examination in ethics required extensive literature review, discussing ideas among each other, and asking those in our local communities for their opinion on our research topic to gauge a holistic evaluation.
Both of us found this research enjoyable, and a relaxing break from trying to model systems with challenging mathematical equations. This process also allowed us to gain a broader perspective of computer science and artificial intelligence; living in the Silicon Valley, we are often encapsulated within the mentality that all types of technological innovation is beneficial, yet people in other places, even just outside the Bay Area, have starkingly different views. Where people in Silicon Valley live off of innovation, those in rural areas may see this as a threat to their jobs and personal stability. From this research, we both learned an important lesson for our own future pursuits in computer science: the importance ethics has behind governing ones and zeroes.
The most challenging part of our research was when we tried to come into an agreement of our different views through debating. By examining this topic through Greek philosopher's Pyrrho's lens, the boundaries between good and evil suddenly became indistinguishable. Pyrrho states that good and evil can only be assessed on a relative scale from an observer's perspective. In this case, the side making and distributing the malware can be seen as good or evil. If the observer was on this side, they could easily make the argument that distributing malware is analogous to distributing capital and making profit as income, whereas an electronics consumer sees these hackers as a threat to cyberspace.
All in all, Sohini and I learned a vast amount about the implications malware has in our digital age, and how it might proliferate expediently. With malware distribution techniques similar to those of a capital market, the future of malware in cyberspace can only be concluded as spontaneous and uncertain. However, through improving our current anti-virus and malware prevention software and systems, a safe interconnected world glimmers in the near future.
-James
Both of us found this research enjoyable, and a relaxing break from trying to model systems with challenging mathematical equations. This process also allowed us to gain a broader perspective of computer science and artificial intelligence; living in the Silicon Valley, we are often encapsulated within the mentality that all types of technological innovation is beneficial, yet people in other places, even just outside the Bay Area, have starkingly different views. Where people in Silicon Valley live off of innovation, those in rural areas may see this as a threat to their jobs and personal stability. From this research, we both learned an important lesson for our own future pursuits in computer science: the importance ethics has behind governing ones and zeroes.
The most challenging part of our research was when we tried to come into an agreement of our different views through debating. By examining this topic through Greek philosopher's Pyrrho's lens, the boundaries between good and evil suddenly became indistinguishable. Pyrrho states that good and evil can only be assessed on a relative scale from an observer's perspective. In this case, the side making and distributing the malware can be seen as good or evil. If the observer was on this side, they could easily make the argument that distributing malware is analogous to distributing capital and making profit as income, whereas an electronics consumer sees these hackers as a threat to cyberspace.
All in all, Sohini and I learned a vast amount about the implications malware has in our digital age, and how it might proliferate expediently. With malware distribution techniques similar to those of a capital market, the future of malware in cyberspace can only be concluded as spontaneous and uncertain. However, through improving our current anti-virus and malware prevention software and systems, a safe interconnected world glimmers in the near future.
-James
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