Post #2729604
2026-04-18 22:38 UTC
@ddrake@mathstodon.xyz Ethics in Software Design ought to include environmental concerns about efficiency of software, especially if it is going to be scaled massively.
Replies (1)
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@ddrake@mathstodon.xyz 2026-04-19 12:26
@RuchiraSDatta@mathstodon.xyz excellent point -- it shows there's more layers/dimensions to the ethical considerations than you might think. Consider some bit of software that fairly and genuinely promotes human flourishing -- but comes at a staggering environmental cost. Compare that with some alternative that is more energy-efficient but is roughly like the worst of rage-bait social media. What should you do? I can easily imagine students disagreeing about this. Now I need to think about other dynamics like this: your design seems very good, very ethical, but there's another angle in which it is harmful.