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While I think data science is a very interesting field with a lot of beneficial applications it also seems to be the one that's right at the heart of a lot of t

While I think data science is a very interesting field with a lot of beneficial applications it also seems to be the one that's right at the heart of a lot of the negative impact some tech is having on society right now. I seriously considered specializing in it for a while but ultimately decided it was too likely I'd be asked to work on things that make me uncomfortable.

malux85 6y ago
Power(ful tools) can be wielded for good or evil, the courageous thing to do is to learn it AND act ethically, not shy away from it. Otherwise the spoils of war go to the unethical evil because they are now unchallenged.
- cageface 6y ago
  Maybe so but I'm not really in a position to martyr myself professionally right now so I'm just avoiding it instead.
  - malux85 6y ago
    False dichotomy
    - cageface 6y ago
      How so? If I level up on data science and then go work somewhere as a data scientist and refuse to work on the tasks assigned to me I don't see that working out so well in my performance reviews. To the downvoters - grow up and learn to present an argument.
      - coddle-hark 6y ago
        You could say the same thing about lots of knowledge though: AI, economics, behavioral psychology, crypto currencies etc. I think most people would agree that there’s lots of positive applications that you could use your data science skills for. But if you can’t then good for you for staying out of the field.
- jlokier 6y ago
  I disagree; I think that approach does not work. Building powerful tools and then using them ethically doesn't reduce the amount of "unethical evil" done by others. Quite the contrary. And it doesn't deny them "spoils", as though there's a zero-sum prize, because there isn't one. If you're really good at building tools, it will result in the creation of new, powerful tools which may be wielded for good or evil. If most other actors out there will wield those tools you're building for more evil than good, the mere act of building those tools will lead to more evil than good. So I'm with cageface on this. Deciding which tools to build does have consequences, and it's other people who primarily decide how those tools will be used, not the toolmaker. Sometimes you can already see what choices others look likely to make. Some would argue this doesn't place an ethical burden on the toolmaker, because you can't and shouldn't control other people. That's a different argument though. Ethical or not, there are undeniably consequences from building tools when you can see how they are likely to be used.

malux85 6y ago

Power(ful tools) can be wielded for good or evil, the courageous thing to do is to learn it AND act ethically, not shy away from it. Otherwise the spoils of war go to the unethical evil because they are now unchallenged.

cageface 6y ago
Maybe so but I'm not really in a position to martyr myself professionally right now so I'm just avoiding it instead.
- malux85 6y ago
  False dichotomy
  - cageface 6y ago
    How so? If I level up on data science and then go work somewhere as a data scientist and refuse to work on the tasks assigned to me I don't see that working out so well in my performance reviews. To the downvoters - grow up and learn to present an argument.
    - coddle-hark 6y ago
      You could say the same thing about lots of knowledge though: AI, economics, behavioral psychology, crypto currencies etc. I think most people would agree that there’s lots of positive applications that you could use your data science skills for. But if you can’t then good for you for staying out of the field.
jlokier 6y ago
I disagree; I think that approach does not work. Building powerful tools and then using them ethically doesn't reduce the amount of "unethical evil" done by others. Quite the contrary. And it doesn't deny them "spoils", as though there's a zero-sum prize, because there isn't one. If you're really good at building tools, it will result in the creation of new, powerful tools which may be wielded for good or evil. If most other actors out there will wield those tools you're building for more evil than good, the mere act of building those tools will lead to more evil than good. So I'm with cageface on this. Deciding which tools to build does have consequences, and it's other people who primarily decide how those tools will be used, not the toolmaker. Sometimes you can already see what choices others look likely to make. Some would argue this doesn't place an ethical burden on the toolmaker, because you can't and shouldn't control other people. That's a different argument though. Ethical or not, there are undeniably consequences from building tools when you can see how they are likely to be used.