A Gift of Fire

Book excerpt: Gift of Fire is ideal for courses in Computer Ethics and Computers and Society. In this revision of a best-seller, Baase explores the social, legal, philosophical, ethical, political, constitutional, and economic implications of computing and the controversies they raise. With a computer scientist's perspective, and with historical context for many issues, she covers the issues readers will face both as members of a technological society and as professionals in computer-related fields. A primary goal is to develop computer professionals who understand the implications of what they create and how it fits into society at large.