How Do Developers Handle Moral Dilemmas? 268
DwightFagen asks: "I'm curious to know how developers in the Slashdot community handle situations in which they are given a project that rubs against their moral borders. I was recently hired as a Flash developer for a design and development company and am just beginning my second project. This particular assignment is to build the video portion of an online magazine. This magazine deals with various topics and is by no means a pornographic site (although some content may border on that), but it seems one of its key tenets is to be untethered by social moral values. Though I do not believe such things should in any way be censored or banned from the internet, I do not wish to actively support something I believe to be an exploitation of human beings. What would you in the Slashdot community do in such a situation? Have any of you dealt with something like this before?"
"For the sake of clarity, I'd like to mention that I'm all for the freedom of expression on the internet and that I do not in any way judge people based on the media they choose to consume.
If this were a clear cut case of pornography, my choice would be simple; but that is not the case. I do still hold myself to certain standards and believe in the value of integrity and I would also like to do work that my family and friends can be proud of (or at least work that I could show them). However, I would also like to keep my job and would not want to put my small company of very nice people in a difficult position (as the deadline is not so far off)."
If this were a clear cut case of pornography, my choice would be simple; but that is not the case. I do still hold myself to certain standards and believe in the value of integrity and I would also like to do work that my family and friends can be proud of (or at least work that I could show them). However, I would also like to keep my job and would not want to put my small company of very nice people in a difficult position (as the deadline is not so far off)."
Morals versus Flash development? (Score:5, Funny)
PS: Links to the boobies plz!
It's easy, first take the money (Score:3, Funny)
Behold: http://newbirth.org/ [newbirth.org]
How to handle moral delimmas? (Score:5, Funny)
To borrow from Clerks... (Score:1, Funny)
A construction job of that magnitude would require a helluva lot more manpower than the Imperial army had to offer. I'll bet there were independent contractors working on that thing: plumbers, aluminum siders, roofers.
DANTE
Not just Imperials, is what you're getting at.
RANDAL
Exactly. In order to get it built quickly and quietly they'd hire anybody who could do the job. Do you think the average storm trooper knows how to install a toilet main? All they know is killing and white uniforms.
DANTE
All right, so even if independent contractors are working on the Death Star, why are you uneasy with its destruction?
RANDAL
All those innocent contractors hired to do a job were killed- casualties of a war they had nothing to do with. (notices Dante's confusion) All right, look-you're a roofer, and some juicy government contract comes your way; you got the wife
and kids and the two-story in suburbia-this is a government contract, which means all sorts of benefits. All of a sudden these left-wing militants blast you with lasers and wipe out everyone within a three-mile radius. You didn't ask for that. You have no personal politics. You're just trying to scrape out a living.
Um so yeah, you can choose to do or not do a project...based on personal politics. Especially if it involves working for the Empire.
Re:How to handle moral delimmas? (Score:5, Funny)
Nowhere is this so clearly illustrated... (Score:2, Funny)
In related news, 18 out of 12 slashcode developers believe the fundamental axioms of mathematics are oppressive and immoral.
Re:Well, for those of us who care about REAL moral (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Go read some Nietzche and Sartre (Score:4, Funny)
With the following exceptions of the American Revolution, World War II, and the Star Wars Trilogy.
Re:It's easy, first take the money (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Question yourself (Score:3, Funny)
One thing however is absolutely essential: that you question those moral principles. They might be wrong. Some of them are wrong. Find them, weed them out.
-1, Redundant! We already have plenty of comments telling him to stop developing Flash.
Re:Simple (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Well, for those of us who care about REAL moral (Score:1, Funny)
I know, I know! A fluffer. Am I right?