EAS 203 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Whois, Arati Prabhakar, Darpa
7 Jun 2018
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UNIT 3 READINGS
Feb 20 Reading
- responsibility of engineers with regards to the societal implications of their research,
particularly when they are funded by the military
Fleddermann, Chapter 6: The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers, pp. 103-110
Manhattan Project primary source packet, pp. 1-10
- An example of engineers involved in political and military decisions.
- If you were in charge of a research project that could be used as a weapon, what role
would you play in the public debate?
Arati Prabhakar TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuC2WzMLzzs
- Prabhakar is an engineer and served as the Director (2012-2017) of the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the R&D component of the US
Department of Defense
- ethical implications of the work being done at DARPA (especially in her closing remarks)
o could be used for good or bad
Feb 22 Reading
“Should Scientists and Engineers Resist Taking Military Money?” John Horgan
- John Horgan is a science and technology scholar
- Analyze both his argument and how he communicates the material
o Starts out with his experience working for military research- gives him credibility
o “Should [engineers/scientists] consult for the armed forces or other defense
agencies?”
o “Will your work really make the world safer or more dangerous? Will it inhibit
conflict or provoke it, perhaps by triggering an arms race?”
o Not all military funded activities are immoral, but “governments and defense
departments—as well as other groups—should finance and conduct research
into alternatives to violence in politics.”
o “the best possible use of military funds is to support research into how to make
arms and armies obsolete.”
- Do you agree or disagree with his claims?
- What pieces of evidence did you find to be compelling (or not)?
o “as soldiers are removed from the horrors of war and see the enemy not as
humans but as blips on a screen, there is a very real danger of losing the
deterrent that such horrors provide.”
o “If a robot commits a war crime, Singer asked, who should be held accountable”
o pentagon research on neuroweapons
“How to Maintain America’s Edge: Increase Funding for Basic Science,” L. Rafael Reif
- L. Rafael Reif is an electrical engineer and the president of MIT. Reif has actively
engaged in the public debate about government funding of basic (as opposed to only
applied) science
- What is his main argument?
o It often takes decades for fundamental research to yield practical applications,
but funding has been pulled back
Document Summary
Feb 20 reading responsibility of engineers with regards to the societal implications of their research, particularly when they are funded by the military. Fleddermann, chapter 6: the rights and responsibilities of engineers, pp. An example of engineers involved in political and military decisions. Prabhakar is an engineer and served as the director (2012-2017) of the defense. Advanced research projects agency (darpa), the r&d component of the us. Ethical implications of the work being done at darpa (especially in her closing remarks: could be used for good or bad. Should scientists and engineers resist taking military money? john horgan. John horgan is a science and technology scholar. How to maintain america"s edge: increase funding for basic science, l. rafael reif: rafael reif is an electrical engineer and the president of mit. Reif has actively engaged in the public debate about government funding of basic (as opposed to only applied) science.
