Moral responsibility in conceptual modeling

Abstract

There is an irreducible ethical dimension to the activity of conceptual modeling. Conceptual models and conceptual modeling languages exert a profound influence upon our thinking and perception of real-world situations, and they govern the design of new artifacts. Ultimately, as Ulrich Frank has argued, they inform the development of possible future worlds. It is, therefore, imperative to attend to the many direct and indirect ways in which conceptual modeling is both the vehicle and the source of moral decisions. In this chapter, we reflect upon the notion of moral responsibility in conceptual modeling, which we take as an attitude of careful alertness to the ethical ramifications of both the activity and the products of conceptual modeling. Among the issues discussed are the contingency of the scope and content of conceptual models, the formative power and limits of modeling languages, the normative functions of conceptual models, and the role of conceptual modeling in the (re-)production of social reality itself. Our conclusions are intended to contribute to what might be developed into a body of guidelines for responsible conceptual modeling in the future.