Privacy - Paperback

by Steven M. Cahn (Editor), Carissa Veliz (Editor)

An incisive compendium of philosophical literature on privacy, part of the acclaimed Wiley-Blackwell Readings in Philosophy series

Companies collect and share much of your daily life, from your location and search history, to your likes, habits, and relationships. As more and more of our personal data is collected, analyzed, and distributed, we need to think carefully about what we might be losing when we give up our privacy.

Privacy is a thought-provoking collection of philosophical essays on privacy, offering deep insights into the nature of privacy, its value, and the consequences of its loss. Bringing together both classic and contemporary work, this timely volume explores the theories, issues, debates, and applications of the philosophical study of privacy. The essays address concealment and exposure, the liberal value of privacy, privacy in social media, privacy rights and public information, privacy and the limits of law, and more.

• Highlights the work of emerging thinkers and leaders in the subject
• Presents work from philosophers such as Judith Jarvis Thomson, Ruth Gavison, Thomas Scanlon, W. A. Parent, and Thomas Nagel
• Explores privacy in contexts including governance, law, ethics, political philosophy, and public policy
• Discusses data collection, online tracking, digital surveillance, and other contemporary privacy issues

Edited by award-winning privacy specialist Carissa Véliz and renowned philosopher and author Steven Cahn, Privacy is a must-read anthology for philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on digital and applied ethics, philosophy, media studies, communications, computer science, engineering, and sociology.

Back Jacket

As an ever-increasing amount of our personal data is collected, analyzed, and distributed by tech companies, we need to think carefully about what we might be losing when we give up our privacy.

Privacy presents an expertly curated selection of both classic and contemporary philosophical literature on privacy, offering rich insights into the nature of privacy and the potential consequences of its loss. Exploring privacy in contexts such as governance, law, and ethics, this incisive compendium of philosophical literature explores the theories, issues, debates, and applications of the philosophical study of privacy and its role in the modern world.

The anthology presents essays by Judith Jarvis Thomson, Thomas Scanlon, W. A. Parent, Ruth Gavison, Carissa Véliz, Thomas Nagel, and other emerging voices and established thinkers. Topics include the liberal value of privacy, privacy in social media, privacy rights and public information, and differing views about privacy, its importance, and its violation.

Privacy is a must-read anthology for philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on digital and applied ethics, philosophy, media studies, communications, computer science, engineering, and sociology.

Author Biography

STEVEN M. CAHN is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center, where he taught academic ethics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of education. He has authored or edited 70 books, including Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia, Religion Within Reason, and Inside Academia: Professors, Politics, and Policies. ​He is the series editor of Wiley-Blackwell Readings in Philosophy.

CARISSA VÉLIZ is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. She is the recipient of the Herbert A. Simon Award for Outstanding Research in Computing and Philosophy, by the International Association of Computing and Philosophy. She is the author of Privacy Is Power and the editor of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics.