::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Mar/99 ::: The Discordant Opposition Journal ::: Issue 3 - File 5 ::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :ethics, humanity and the future: Redvixen Introduction I wanted to write an article on ethics, an important subject to me. However, after starting I realized (very quickly) just how deeply embedded into our values, morality and entire belief system it truly was. You simply cannot start discussing ethics without ending up on some other subject. So I decided to just wing it, hopefully I won't loose anyone on the journey. My main purpose is to examine ethics and morality in a realistic and humanistic sense, slanted of course by my own personal biases. I like to examine things on a very deep level. I have a very strong "need to know" how things function. One of my main passions is the "Human Machine". The human mind in particular. Let's start with the basics. The Human Animal Humans are predators, always have been, always will be. It is our nature. We have all the same instincts as any other predatory animal. And of course, all instinctive needs (shelter, food, finding a mate, breeding, acquiring and defending a territory) translate to one overwhelming urge; to survive. Everything we do, we do in order to survive. There is no such thing as a "selfless" human, we are selfish by nature. We have to be. We don't do anything unless there is something in it for us personally. Even acts of charity and kindness we do because it makes us feel good, is what we believe is right or we just need the tax break. Humans are social. This is also survival based. Because of this we have developed complicated societies with even more complicated social structures, cultures and religions. This has created some potentially serious problems. Living in modern cities has removed the need to hunt. Advances in science and medicine have prolonged our lives. Technology and Education have expanded our levels of awareness and abilities. Spirituality has taught us the value of life. Experience has taught us the futility of war. We, as a species, find ourselves in a unique position. We have become too intelligent for our instincts. That can be a dangerous situation. We spend the majority of our lives attempting to deny our natures. However, we still act on them. Hostile corporate takeovers, road rage, gang fights, are basic territorial behaviors. Jealousies, possessiveness, even what we find attractive in a potential mate, all relate to the need to procreate. When the needs of a society (any modern-day, industrial culture), outweigh the needs of the individual, individuals tend to feel ineffectual and insignificant. Everyone needs to feel important and valuable. Let's face it, most technologically advanced cultures don't nurture the individual. We are more concerned with the whole. We forget that the "whole" is the sum of its parts. In other words, a society is a collection of individuals, and like the proverbial chain, only as strong as its weakest link. In our rush to advance ourselves as a society and as a species (our intellectual evolution if you will) we have left the understanding of the individual behind. We have tried to evolve ourselves into some kind of Borg, hive-mentality. This is simply impossible; it is not what we are. It is never what we will be. Fulfilling our desires to be acknowledged and accepted is so closely linked to our sense of survival, that when these (fundamental needs) are not met we resort to any method possible to have them addressed. This has caused many of the "socially deviant" behaviors we see in modern societies. Humans crave personal attention, we need to be noticed. The instinctive fear is that in becoming insignificant, we will be overlooked, and thereby can not survive. We need to advance, we need to evolve. However, in doing so we need to remember that no matter how intelligent we may become, we are still animals, with very deep instinctual needs, that must not be forgotten. To ignore the importance of the individual, each distinct and separate individual, is to condemn the entire human race to an inevitable course of self-destruction. This is humanities paradox. Only by setting standards of individual conduct, and adhering to them, can we hope to continue our existence. This is when ethical values become survival. Ethics and Morality Ethics is defined as a set of beliefs and/or behaviors based on a code of moral conduct. Morality is self-defined. We all have our own innate concepts of right and wrong. It is independent of Political Affiliation or Religious beliefs. They both try to "teach" us morality, but we still each pick and choose which "laws" we will follow. Breaking the ones we disagree with and justifying that action. This works as long as we are responsible and accepting of the consequences. Sadly, this is not always the case. The majority of humans are woefully shortsighted. Either they choose not to consider the outcome or they simply ignore it. Many people live so far inside of themselves that they can't see past their noses. It is a case of reverse development. Humans are born into a world where their only awareness is of themselves. All they know is their own level of comfort. As we grow we gradually become aware of things outside of ourselves. This awareness expands until such time as we realize our own individual vulnerableness. We then start to withdraw again in order to protect ourselves. Our survival instinct is at work again. The more we allow ourselves to be victimized, the deeper into ourselves we retreat, until we are trapped. Yes, I said allowed. We choose what we feel. We choose how we will react to a situation. We are only powerless if we perceive ourselves to be. The more powerless we feel the more "preemptive" we become. Get them before they get you. This is what is destroying our societies and in fact our entire species. We have to recognize the fact that we need each other to survive. We are nothing alone. In order to do that we need to learn respect, true respect. Respect born of an innate understanding of each other not born of envy, fear or greed. This means we need to learn to live "outside" of ourselves again. We need to consider the effects of everything we do, and be willing to accept the consequences, whatever they might be. How does all of this relate to hacking specifically? Why do Hackers hack? The Idealists will tell you that a true hacker never harms a system, they are there purely to be informed. The more romantic types see themselves as the shining white knights of cyberspace, keeping information free and available to all. That's all well and good, in an ideal world, but personally I believe that sort of thinking is delusional. Let's equate it with hunting. I have been given dozens of personal reasons why people hunted, none of which I considered to be valid. Unless you are a Bushman on the Serengeti, you are going to have a hard time convincing me. In all the conversations I have had with hunters, I have had only one tell me what I consider to be the truth. His simple reply; "I hunt, because I am a predator, and I enjoy killing". Hackers hack, because it is the game of the century. They do it for the same reason that the hunter hunts. Because they get that same rush of superiority and power when they infiltrate a system that a hunter gets when he brings down a bear. The tougher the prey; the bigger the rush. It's the ultimate power trip. Why power trip? Because it makes us feel less insignificant and vulnerable. It feeds our instincts to survive. It makes us feel more important and safe. How do ethics come into play? It's simple, whenever someone breaks a law (whether it's a legal or a moral law), there is a price to be paid. This is not only a rule of mankind, it is a universal rule. Cause and effect. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The lawbreaker is not always the one to pay that price however. Whether or not they consider that possibility is a question of ethics. Whenever you break into a system, you run the risk of damaging it. Whether that is your intention or not. Skill is not an issue, there are simply too many variables to be able to anticipate and deal with all of them. It is a fair assumption that your presence will be detected on some level. Even if the powers that be don't have the resources, skill or even just the desire to pursue you, there will be a record somewhere that you were there. There will also be a sys admin that has to deal with it. At the very least it's cost him/her unnecessary time, and at the most a job. What if this same sys admin (this faceless person who is so easy to ignore), has a family that they were supporting?. How many people are paying your price then? We don't want to think along these lines. So most of us don't. We don't like secrets, unless they are our secrets. Our secrets keep us safe (or so we think). It's all those other secrets that are dangerous...they introduce an unknown element. We can't protect ourselves against the unknown. We rally against our governments (the Uber secret keepers). Our governments justify themselves in the name of national security. We justify ourselves in the name of freedom (and privacy). We all become more and more introverted in the name of survival. Where does it end? Conclusion I think the first step to being responsible for our actions is understanding them. Knowing why we do what we do. That is the purpose of this article. To perhaps get you thinking in directions you were not before. It is not designed to condemn or to judge, only to expand awareness. Personally I don't hack systems, the human mind is, for me, a much greater challenge. Ethics and morality are big issues for me. I know beyond any doubt that *my* survival depends on there being a world here tomorrow, and that depends on us all not self-destructing today. That means we need to stop doing acts of destruction, no matter how innocent we choose to view those acts. We need to grow up (as a species). We need to face the facts that there are prices to be paid, and that we are the ones who need to pay them. We need to respect each other. I can not emphasize this enough. Regarding hacking and ethics, it really all boils down to this; at what point did your right to know become more important than my right to privacy? RedVixen email: redvixen@usa.net