Ethical Theories

Mill states that the best choice is the one which brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number (Spinello, 19). Decision making often uses a cost-benefit analysis (Spinello, 20). What matters most is the consequences, not necessarily the actions involved to get there (Fallis, 2007, 7). However, this does not take into account people’s rights (Spinello, 21). Assuming there are more adult patrons of the library than there are teen patrons, it is believed Mill would choose to give parents full rights over their teen’s accounts, with the ability to see what they checked out and what web sites they visited if that information was available. See below for a sample cost-benefit analysis.

Kant’s theory is based on an idea of duty “an action’s moral worth is found not in what it tries to accomplish but in the agent’s intention and the summoning of one’s energies to carry out that intention" (Spinello, 24). You do things for the sake of duty, regardless of the consequences. “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of another, always at the same time as an end and never simply as a means" (Spinello, 25). Because of this quote in particular, it is believed that Kant would argue for privacy for teens in the library. He does not specify age when he states that you should act in such a way that you would treat humanity. He states that one should act with the correct intention, not with the end in mind. The intention being to treat teens as you would treat any other human being, but without thinking about the ends to that mean.

Non-consequentialism/ Deontological: W.D. Ross

Ross argues that there are seven duties; fidelity, reparation, gratitude, non-maleficence, justice, beneficence, and self-improvement These duties are “moral imperatives that should apply most of the time under normal circumstances, but they are not categorical imperatives which hold regardless of the situation.” A duty can be superseded by extraordinary circumstances (Spinello, 27). It is believed that Ross would give privacy to teens in the library except under circumstances that might result in the harm of the child. So if the child went missing and the parents and police needed to find them, they might be allowed to search the child’s library record (and record of websites visited, if it were available) to see what the child was researching and who the child was talking to online in hopes of locating the child.

Rawls advocates decision making from behind a veil of ignorance. Behind this veil, this decision maker does not know their age, economic status, level of power, etc. “This veil of ignorance makes it impossible to design principles to suit one’s own circumstances and ensures pure procedural justice, since the results are free from any arbitrary influences” (Spinello, 32). This ensures that the decisions are made so as to benefit those in society who are the most disadvantaged (Spinello, 33). Children and teens are clearly in a disadvantaged group because they are not given full autonomy under the law. Therefore, anyone behind the veil of ignorance would choose to give teens in the library full privacy from their parents in this case.

Natural Rights: John Locke

John Locke argues that human being have certain "inalienable" or "natural" rights. These rights include the right to think for one's self, to have access to information and the right to privacy. This is because "we are not really able to think for ourselves if we are worried that our choices are being observed"(Fallis, 2007, 8). For this reason, it is believed that John Locke or any other natural rights theorist would support privacy for teens in the library.

Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset believed in the existentialist philosophy that life is meaningless until one creates their own meaning. He applied this to the mission of the librarian (Fallis, 2009). It is part of the mission of the librarian to assist people in this self-actualization by making information available to them so they can better understand the world around them. However, he believes in the librarian as an agent, there to select the most "appropriate" books for patrons (Fallis, 2009) Because of this, it is likely that Ortega y Gasset would value teen privacy in the library, but would also value censorship of materials deemed "inappropriate" for said teens. This is not infringing on privacy per se, but does infringe on intellectual freedom.