Day 1 keynote: Tim Gorichanaz

Looking forward to this morning’s keynote from Tim Gorichanaz, I’ve been reading some of his work on information experience and the life world lately which I’m hoping to make us of in my own research #ECIL2023

After some lovely opening messages from the conference organisers, in which we were encouraged to prepare for a few days of challenge and inspiration, we’re now kicking off with a keynote from Tim Gorichanaz who will be speaking about “virtue ethics and information literacy” #ECIL2023

We’ve seen some amazing and ambitious projects in the digital age, e.g. Wikipedia aiming to connect the world’s knowledge, Facebook and other social media platforms aiming to connect people - but what is the cost of these systems? Are they naive at best, exploitative and harmful at worst? #ECIL2023

Is the Information Age built on crumbling foundations? Tim talking about the huge leaps in technological advances like AI, like the Tower of Babel building higher and higher but without thinking about what they are built on. Arguing for “virtue ethics” as a foundation for information work.

Focus on ethics in information literature has vastly increased over the last 20 years. Mostly based on two principles: deontology (duties and rules for the “right” thing to do); consequentialism (calculating the “rightness” of outcomes, e.g. the trolley problem). Both have problems: deontology can only make rules on what already exists, struggles to cope with new things e.g. AI. Consequentialism: we often don’t see the consequences of our actions, esp. long term!

Third ethical theory, also the oldest: virtue ethics. Focus on the “qualities of the moral agent”. Not looking at the action or the outcome, but begins with the person.

Virtues are relational: not just are you doing the right thing, but also for the right reason, at the right time. Attentive to specifics of a situation. Not aiming for perfection, but doing the best you can within the limitations of your situation, emphasises growth and improvement.

Virtue ethics and information: has applications in areas such as social responsibility and “neutrality” in professional practice. Virtue ethics can help balance the tension between these two sometimes conflicting demands, by focusing on the specific situation and what is right in the moment rather than aiming for a universal approach.

Seven practices for cultivating virtue ethics [see image below]. These are practices we as librarians can incorporate into our own professional practice, as well as helping to inculcate these in students and others we may work with.

Tim suggesting there are opportunities for a more comprehensive review of how these practices appear in LIS work and research, as well as new work relating to these practices and possibly using these seven practices to inform e.g. information literacy instruction and resources.

Audience member making a really good point about the outcomes of climate change not being a good example of consequentialism, because those with the power to change their approach (e.g. Exxon) knew perfectly well what the long-term consequences of their actions would be, but chose to flood us with disinformation rather than address this.

Well I really enjoyed that keynote! Lots of big, thinky questions which is exactly what I needed to kickstart my brain this Monday morning 🤓.

Tell you one thing that’s really standing out for me at ECIL2023 so far: just what an enormous privilege it is to be able to study, work, publish and present in my own native language. Absolutely in awe of everyone here presenting in their second (or third or…) language. It’s hitting me just how much harder scholarship is when the majority is published in a language that is not your own.

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