Die Informatik als sozial gestaltende Wissenschaft. Selbstverständnis, Theorie und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung

This study examines whether computer science, as a discipline that shapes society, possesses sufficient mechanisms to assume responsibility for the social consequences of its actions. In order to understand the changes to working, social, and private life brought about by new digital technologies, two systematic literature reviews are compared and contrasted. The first traces the discourse on responsibility in computer science prior to the turn of the millennium. The second provides an overview of the social science analysis of Silicon Valley ideology. A chronological continuity in the debate on responsibility in computer science is established on the basis of the commonalities and contradictions. Building on this, the unique cultural and functional position of computer science is justified. These elements are compared with Wolfgang Coy’s requirements for a theory of computer science. An updated version of these demands is proposed as a benchmark against current proposals for greater accountability in computer science and is applied to several examples.