The Discussion Topic:
The case selected from the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics (APPE) National Ethics Bowl Competition Cases for 2020, which is the context for this discussion assignment, is included below. Once you have read the instructions, the case from the APPE, and the reading assignments in Chapter 7 for Baron d’Holbach, John Stuart Mill, B.F. Skinner, and Jean Paul Sartre indicated in the syllabus, you should develop your response to the following prompts. This assignment is worth 30 points.
The Case: Sisyphus Achievement Awards
The urge to play seems to be deeply embedded in our natures. Children the world over invent and play games spontaneously, and adults can easily be drawn into playing. Gameplay is not confined to humans, either. Many higher animals, especially when young, engage in behavior that can only be called playful.
Gamification is the inclusion of gamelike elements in a non-game activity, essentially turning something that is not a game into one. In recent years, thanks to great advances in the psychology of play, surveillance technology, data collection, and data processing, many companies have experimented with gamifying their products or services. Retailers issue bonus bucks, coupons, frequent flyer miles, or similar prizes to loyal customers. Makers of educational software, like uolingo, award achievement badges and create leaderboards to motivate learners through rewards and competition. Health apps keep track of steps taken, calorie intake, heart rate, and so forth. Examples abound of how the natural urge to play has been channeled into an artificial urge to consume, study, or exercise.
Everyone knows that a good way of motivating oneself for a boring task is to make a game of it, especially when the only carrot or stick lies in the future, like a paycheck or a pink slip. It’s no surprise that some businesses have gotten into the game, so to speak, by gamifying the workplace. Production levels used to be measured monthly, weekly, or daily, and workers learned the good or bad news at regular performance reviews. But new systems now allow managers to keep track of workers in real time, and workers themselves can instantly see how they’re doing. The Disneyland Resort Hotel in California, for instance, has installed scoreboards throughout their laundry facility, according to an article published by Aeon on October 10, 2018, that display color-coded names of workers: green if the worker is meeting the goals set by management, yellow if the worker slows down, and red if the worker falls behind. Individual laundry machines at the facility monitor the rate of input and flash warning lights directly at the workers if they slow down.
While such systems do not directly administer physical punishment or reward, they nevertheless tap into a deep-seated urge toward competitive play, spurring workers on through nonstop monitoring that is hard to ignore. Managers don’t need to make the rounds with stopwatches in hand. The system itself micromanages workers to a degree undreamt of by the efficiency engineers of the early twentieth century. One might even call it Taylorism on steroids. According to the Aeon article, workers themselves at the Disney facility called it “the electronic whip.” According to one union organizer, Beatriz Topete, what had once been a collegial environment turned into a competitive race in which pregnant workers fell behind, people skipped bathroom breaks, injuries increased, and the faster workers resented those who didn’t keep up.
Discussion Prompt:
This topic is about freedom of the will and the degree to which worker behavior can be modified and productivity can be maximized. Are these workers described in the case above choosing to be more productive, harder workers, or are they caused to become so?
Your initial posting should be a minimum of 150 words. (Please don’t forget to also reply to at least two of your classmates.) Be sure to defend your answer with specific reference to one of the following philosophers, making effective use of their theory:
Baron d’Holbach (Hard Determinism)
John Stuart Mill (Soft Determinism/Compatibilism)
B.F. Skinner (Determinism/Behavioral Engineering)
Jean Paul Sartre (Existentialism)
Your posts in the discussion area should exhibit careful thought and logical reasoning and provide evidence for your position. Each post should be at least one well-developed paragraph (approximately 150 words or more). Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Your postings must include specific reference to one of the assigned philosophers, making effective use of the philosopher’s theory that you have chosen. Short, relevant quotes used to support your core claims are excellent but must not be longer than 25% of the 150 word minimum requirement.
