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Ethics: Are we misusing the terms "master-slave". Do we even have a community / forum in which we can discuss this?

Philip Oakley
The recent world wide considerations of the diversity challenges in our society has highlighted that we in Engineering can be perpetuating some of the derogatory terms implicit within our use of "Master-Slave" for purely inanimate technical control scenarios. [1 - N]


We have policies on slavery that every volunteer, staff member and Trustee must read and abide to, but it appears we haven't noticed, to any significant extent, our own continued use of "slave" in our writings.


Do we even have a community or forum in which we can discuss this ethical, and publishing issue?


Philip Oakley

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53273923

[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3243656.stm

[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53050955

[4 ] http://www.jstor.com/stable/40061475   "Broken Metaphor: The Master-Slave Analogy in Technical Literature"

[5] https://www.theiet.org/involved/volunteering-for-the-iet/volunteer-hub/our-policies/anti-slavery-policy/


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  • 0
    OMS:

    Are you looking for a problem where one doesn't exist ?


    Regards


    OMS


    It looks like enough people consider it to be a problem that people are doing something about it.


    When writing software, I prefer terms such as manager-worker.  This conveys the same meaning without the historical baggage and potential to offend.


Reply
  • 0
    OMS:

    Are you looking for a problem where one doesn't exist ?


    Regards


    OMS


    It looks like enough people consider it to be a problem that people are doing something about it.


    When writing software, I prefer terms such as manager-worker.  This conveys the same meaning without the historical baggage and potential to offend.


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