Note that this lesson presents concepts and theories that are only part of the debate around data ethics. We do not endorse all of them but we believe they are a useful starting point for approaching these topics.
Which of the concepts and theories exactly does the Turing endorse and why? Part of being a good scientist involves considering the available evidence without prejudice and describing how you arrive at your conclusions.
Far from being intellectually unprejudiced and rigorous, the material promotes a set of contested viewpoints uncritically, in particular the neo-Marxist [1] doctrine that human endeavours and interactions are to be viewed in terms of 'power, privilege and oppression' dynamics and where certain groups are cast as the oppressors and other groups as the oppressed. As such, the material encourages participants to view society in terms of a set of fault lines drawn on the basis of a few narrow and often immutable characteristics, with scant regard for socio-economic, cultural, geographical or historical nuance. Concerns around the possible bias of decision-makers (Data Scientists) are defined in similarly narrow terms, while additionally failing to consider the pitfalls of ideological bias during the decision-making process itself.
Thus, this 'lesson' is little more than an exercise in ideological indoctrination. This damages both the scientific reputation of the Turing and the profession at large.
It isn't sufficient to have an open debate about this, say within the relevant team, because individuals with particularly strong opinions in favour of the material are more likely to make their voices heard, whereas other individuals are more likely to self-censor for fear of damaging their career.
The material states:
Note that this lesson presents concepts and theories that are only part of the debate around data ethics. We do not endorse all of them but we believe they are a useful starting point for approaching these topics.Which of the concepts and theories exactly does the Turing endorse and why? Part of being a good scientist involves considering the available evidence without prejudice and describing how you arrive at your conclusions.
Far from being intellectually unprejudiced and rigorous, the material promotes a set of contested viewpoints uncritically, in particular the neo-Marxist [1] doctrine that human endeavours and interactions are to be viewed in terms of 'power, privilege and oppression' dynamics and where certain groups are cast as the oppressors and other groups as the oppressed. As such, the material encourages participants to view society in terms of a set of fault lines drawn on the basis of a few narrow and often immutable characteristics, with scant regard for socio-economic, cultural, geographical or historical nuance. Concerns around the possible bias of decision-makers (Data Scientists) are defined in similarly narrow terms, while additionally failing to consider the pitfalls of ideological bias during the decision-making process itself.
Thus, this 'lesson' is little more than an exercise in ideological indoctrination. This damages both the scientific reputation of the Turing and the profession at large.
It isn't sufficient to have an open debate about this, say within the relevant team, because individuals with particularly strong opinions in favour of the material are more likely to make their voices heard, whereas other individuals are more likely to self-censor for fear of damaging their career.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neo-Marxism&oldid=1162175818