# Ethics in the Software Development Process: From Codes of Conduct to Ethical Deliberation

**Authors:** Jan Gogoll, Niina Zuber, Severin Kacianka, Timo Greger, Alexander Pretschner, Julian Nida-Rümelin  
**arXiv:** [2011.03016](https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.03016)  
**Date:** 2020-11-05  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2011.03016v1/

## Key points

- Increasing importance of software systems in our lives
- Ethical responsibilities of software engineers and companies
- Distinguishing between individual ethical considerations and business ethics
- Insufficiency of Codes of Ethics in providing normative guidance for software development
- Analysis of normative features and limitations of Codes of Ethics
- Lack of specific guidance leading to reactive behaviors
- Proposal to implement ethical deliberation within software development teams as a solution
- Need for ethical deliberation to effectively address ethical issues arising from software systems' influence in society

## Summary

In the paper titled "Ethics in the Software Development Process: From Codes of Conduct to Ethical Deliberation," authors Jan Gogoll, Niina Zuber, Severin Kacianka, Timo Greger, Alexander Pretschner, and Julian Nida-Rümelin discuss the increasing importance of software systems in our lives and the ethical responsibilities that software engineers and their companies face. The authors aim to distinguish between ethical considerations that can be addressed by individual software engineers and those that fall within the realm of business ethics. Traditionally, ethical issues within software development have been tackled through the publication of Codes of Ethics and Conduct. However, the authors argue that these codes are insufficient in providing normative guidance for software development. They analyze the normative features of Codes of Ethics in software engineering and highlight how their value-based approach may hinder their effectiveness from a normative perspective. The paper emphasizes that Codes of Conduct cannot replace ethical deliberation because they lack specific guidance due to their underdetermined nature. This lack of orientation leads to reactive behaviors such as "cherry-picking," "risk of indifference," "ex-post orientation," and a reliance on gut feelings. To address this issue, the authors propose implementing ethical deliberation within software development teams as a solution. Overall, this paper sheds light on the limitations of existing Codes of Ethics in providing normative guidance for software engineers. It highlights the need for ethical deliberation within development teams to effectively address ethical issues arising from software systems' increasing influence in society.