ERIC Number: EJ924421
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jul
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-3746
EISSN: N/A
Technological Metaphors and Moral Education: The Hacker Ethic and the Computational Experience
Warnick, Bryan R.
Studies in Philosophy and Education, v23 n4 p265-281 Jul 2004
This essay is an attempt to understand how technological metaphors, particularly computer metaphors, are relevant to moral education. After discussing various types of technological metaphors, it is argued that technological metaphors enter moral thought through their "functional descriptions." The computer metaphor is then explored by turning to the "hacker ethic." Analysis of this ethic reveals parallels between the experience of computer programming and the moral standards of those who are enmeshed in computer technology. This parallel suggests that the hacker ethic is being pushed by a computer metaphor and its functional descriptions in a direction of individualism and systems thinking. After examining some possible implications of the computer metaphor, this essay offers suggestions concerning how technological metaphors may be critiqued.
Descriptors: Figurative Language, Computers, Programming, Moral Values, Ethics, Moral Development, Ethical Instruction, Relevance (Education)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A