Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!grivel!gara!pmorriso
From: pmorriso@gara.une.oz.au (Perry Morrison MATH)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: New Book in Computer Ethics
Keywords: Ethics, Professional Standards:
Message-ID: <3276@gara.une.oz.au>
Date: 21 Aug 90 01:04:48 GMT
References: <3217@gara.une.oz.au> <9008171738.AA01165@world.std.com> <1990Aug19.230355.22506@syd.dit.CSIRO.AU> <3264@gara.une.oz.au> <519@roo.UUCP> <1664@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>
Reply-To: pmorriso@gara.UUCP (Perry Morrison MATH)
Organization: Uni. of New England, Armidale, NSW.
Lines: 41

In article <1664@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> cyoes@wilkins.iaims.bcm.tmc.edu (Cissy Yoes) writes:
>In article <519@roo.UUCP>, mark@parc.xerox.com (Mark Weiser) writes:
>|> In article <3264@gara.une.oz.au> pmorriso@gara.une.oz.au (Perry
>Morrison MATH) writes:
>|> 
>|> >I understand that his prospects at an
>|> >Australian institution were recently thwarted and I can only surmise that 
>|> >this has something to do with it.
>|> 
>|> >Perry Morrison
>|> 
>|> At least the original comments were about the book, not the people.
>|> I don't find the above form of argumentation to be in good taste.
>|> Spoken: Mark Weiser 	ARPA:	weiser@xerox.com
>I agree!  Personal vendettas should not be carried out at the expense
>of the users of this news group.  
>
>Professional standards are important, and each of us must accept responsibility
>for modeling them in our personal behavior.
>
>Cissy Yoes

I agree in terms of your comment on personal vendettas. My claim is that the 
net was **told** by Dr. Reynolds that my book was not even ABOUT computer 
ethics. That would be fine if it were a comment out of the blue, but Reynold's 
imvolvement goes deeper than this.

It is a very damaging comment that needed a wider context. My ethical judgement
tells me that some of the personal background about Reynolds is neither 
specific enough nor recent enough to be of much consequence. 

On the other hand, a malicious comment that essentially says that my book is a 
facade, improperly entitled and therefore not even a contribution to the field,
involves a much greater level of harm- to my reputation, that of my publisher's
and to the success of the book itself.

As i've said before, I don't mind unmotivated attacks. But I'm sure that
this one isn't of that kind.

I've said my piece.
Perry Morrison