Ethics, morality and critical research in IS

Now that I have introduced and discussed in some depth the concept of CRIS and some possible theoretical underpinnings, the next theoretical consideration concerns the link between CRIS and normative theory – that is, ethics and morality. Establishing this link is one of the original contributions of this book, and it is necessary to do so in some depth. I will therefore start this chapter by offering a review of the concepts of ethics and morality. This review will develop two alternative distinctions between the two terms which will allow for an inclusive understanding of ethics and morality, which covers much current ethical thinking and is compatible with a range of philosophical theories on ethics. I will then explain why and how ethics and morality are linked to critical research specifically in IS. They will then follow a discussion of several current CRIS publications, their implicit views on ethics and morality, and the question of how my distinction between the terms can contribute to CRIS research.