Using Technology to Cheat

Using Technology to Cheat

This paper rovides an in-depth look at a legal/ethical issue of Using Technology to Cheat relating to the work environment. The notion of ethics has long been a source of much discussion. In fact, many of us have little doubt that the idea of ethics has been around as long as society itself. Ethics is a simple word, but one that has a very complicated definition and meaning. Ethics is defined as “A system of moral principles” (American Heritage Dictionary, 2000). What does this truly mean? The answer it appears is a matter of perspective. Another fascinating thing about this concept is that the idea of ethics is ever-evolving. A continuously changing world necessitates that our interpretation of what is ethical must also evolve.

Today we are confronted by ethical problems that simply did not exist in the past. Most of this has to do with the increasing role of technology in our lives. The rapid advance of different technologies in recent years has definitely served to make our lives easier. At this point, our society can hardly imagine getting through our daily routine without the benefit of devices such as cell phones or computers. These along with numerous other advances serve to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. The recent strides made in technological advancement in just the last few decades are staggering to say the least. Great progress been made to come up with new medicines to cure disease, invent ways to help us communicate and stay in touch with the ones we love, and even the internet and its seemingly infinite possibilities are all welcomed changes in our lives. These along with a plethora of other improvements all have their place in our day to day lives as we continue to adapt to our new technological world. However, it should not be without some apprehension that we enter into this new age. Technology in general can be amazing, but we must see the other side of this brave new world as well. The prevalence of technology in contemporary society must be treated with the healthy respect it deserves.

With all the wonderful benefits that these modern luxuries afford us, they also create new ethical questions that did not exist before. One issue in particular is the role of cheating in today's academia as it relates to technology. Today's students have access to numerous new ways to cheat with the help of this new technology. In many instances, these methods of cheating are foreign to us because they were not a viable option until recently. We have come a long way from cheating the good old fashion way, meaning without the use of technology. Writing notes on the palm of the hand is an example of a more antiquated method of this ethically questionable behavior. The fact of the matter is that as long as a society founded upon rules and regulations exists, there will be people who “cheat” and try to ...