Background
Williams, Mary Bearden was born on August 29, 1936 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Daughter of Edwin Gantt and Walter Harnesbarger (Dallas) Williams.
(Over the last two decades, computers have become more and...)
Over the last two decades, computers have become more and more important to our everyday lives, helping to manage our finances, fly our airplanes, run our factories, and even educate our children. As computers become more powerful, and more essential to the functioning of business and government, their potential for stripping us of our privacy and autonomy increases exponentially, so that now more than ever there is a need to grasp the ethical and social implications of their growing use. Computers, Ethics, and Society meets this need by providing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary set of readings ideally suited to address the potential problems of the computer age. Taking into account technical, social, and philosophical complications, the contributors consider such topics as the labor ramifications of automation, the ethical obligations of computer specialists, and the threat of violation of privacy that comes with increased computerization.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019505850X/?tag=2022091-20
(Computers can have both a positive and negative impact on...)
Computers can have both a positive and negative impact on our lives. As they become increasingly important, these machines have the potential to deprive us of our privacy and even the jobs we need to support ourselves. On the other hand, they can enhance the quality of human life by producing unimagined freedom from drudgery and want. Ideal for students in sociology, philosophy, and computer science courses, Computers, Ethics, and Society serves as a reminder that although technology has the potential to improve or undermine our quality of life, it is society which has the power to ultimately decide how computers will affect our lives. Computers, Ethics, and Society, now in its second edition, provides a stimulating set of interdisciplinary readings specifically designed to understand these issues. The readings examine current computer problems, discussing them at a level that can explain future realities. Topics include the threat to privacy, computer wrong-doing and whistleblowing, and the questions of how to decide when and if a computer-related act is wrongful. In addition, the problems of unemployment and opportunities for international cooperation are considered in light of broader issues of justice and community. New chapters in the second edition deal with specific and timely issues such as the conflict over copyrights on the Internet; the influence and effect of computer technology on women, minorities, and third world societies; and the exploitations of Internet technology by right-wing militia groups and other underground organizations.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019510756X/?tag=2022091-20
Philosophy of biology educator
Williams, Mary Bearden was born on August 29, 1936 in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Daughter of Edwin Gantt and Walter Harnesbarger (Dallas) Williams.
Bachelor in Mathematics, Reed College, 1958. Master of Arts in Mathematics, University Pennsylvania, 1961. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics Biology, University London, 1967.
Assistant professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1967-1973; visiting assistant professor, Indiana U., Bloomington, 1973-1974; assistant professor, Ohio State University, Columbus, 1974-1976; honors faculty, U. Delaware, Newark, 1976-1978; director center science and culture, U. Delaware, Newark, 1985-1989; associate professor, U. Delaware, Newark, since 1978.
(Over the last two decades, computers have become more and...)
(Computers can have both a positive and negative impact on...)
Member Mathematics Association American (governor 1975-1978), Philosophy of Science Association (governor 1977-1979), Society for Study of Evolution, American Philosophical Association.