# Ethics `kaal:entity:ethics` **Status.** derived This node is assembled mechanically from the 12 claims that carry the concept tag `ethics`. It is a roster of what the corpus says under this term. It is **not** an adjudicated definition: no single statement here has been ruled canonical, and no first-appearance call has been made. Read the claims and judge for yourself. ## Every claim under this term 12 claims across 8 works, 2018 to 2025. **2018** - [3227967-030](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-030) [condition/argued] -- Building lawyers' capacity to think about the social and ethical implications of code is both essential and inevitable, but saying anything sensible about the ethics of technology first requires understanding coding and coders. > Building the capacity of the lawyers of the future to think about the social and ethical implications of code is both essential and inevitable. But, to say something sensible about the ethical aspects of technology, it is necessary to understand both more about coding and coders. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-038](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-038) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Coders and developers do not always understand the industry or business environment they target with their software solutions, nor do they always consider the trust or ethical issues raised by the technology based business solutions they implement. > Coders, programmers, and other developers do not always understand the industry or business environment they target with their software solutions. Nor do they always consider the trust or ethical issues when implementing technology-based business solutions. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 - [3227967-039](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3227967-039) [design/argued] -- Developers are not trained to consider business context or ethics because most tech education focuses almost exclusively on technical training and skills, so a parallel reconfiguration of technical education is required alongside the reform of legal education. > They are not trained to think in this way. Most tech- education is almost exclusively focused on technical training and skills. A parallel reconfiguration in our technical education is also required. Mark Fenwick, Wulf A. Kaal, Erik P.M. Vermeulen, Legal Education in a Digital Age Why 'Coding for Lawyers' Matters (2018). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3227967 **2019** - [3411897-039](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3411897-039) [condition/argued] *(failure mode)* -- Without a core common ethical denominator, decentralized systems cannot last: they lose coherence, become attackable, and can be corrupted, leading to suboptimal societal outcomes. > Without a core common ethical denominator, decentralized systems cannot last, they lose coherence, become attackable, and can be corrupted, leading to suboptimal societal outcomes. Wulf A. Kaal, Decentralization - Past, Present, and Future (2019). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3411897 **2020** - [3652481-010](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3652481-010) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- A DAO focus on the value enhancement of fungible tokens can produce short termism and lead the organization to ignore ethical and governance issues. > Yet, the focus on the value enhancement of fungible tokens can lead to short termism and may ignore ethical and governance issues. Wulf A. Kaal, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations – Internal Governance and External Legal Design (2020). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3652481 **2021** - [3799320-005](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3799320-005) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The focus on value enhancement of fungible tokens can drive short termism in DAOs and cause ethical and governance issues to be ignored. > Yet, the focus on the value enhancement of fungible tokens can lead to short- termism and may ignore ethical and governance issues. Wulf A. Kaal, A Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) of DAOs (2021). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3799320 - [3949098-033](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/3949098-033) [normative/asserted] -- The decentralized reputation staking governance mechanisms provide a higher form of decentralized governance than most legal standards in any given jurisdiction. > (Calcaterra & Kaal et al (2019)) provide a higher form of decentralized governance than most legal standards in a given jurisdiction. Wulf A. Kaal, Reputation as Capital – How DAOs Upgrade Finance (2021). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3949098 **2024** - [4900880-040](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/4900880-040) [failure/asserted] *(failure mode)* -- Decentralized finance and participatory governance models create their own problems, specifically unresolved regulatory frameworks and ethical considerations, so decentralization is not a costless substitute for existing institutional arrangements. > The rise of decentralized finance and participatory governance models also presents challenges in terms of regulatory frameworks and ethical considerations. Wulf A. Kaal, Quantum Economy and the Future of Work (2024). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4900880 - [4941807-006](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/4941807-006) [mechanism/argued] -- Locating accountability at the level of the individual actor rather than burdening the entire community is what makes the proposed Web3 AI governance model a workable route to addressing the ethical dilemmas that arise from AI applications. > By ensuring accountability at the individual level, rather than burdening the entire community, this proposed model for AI governance within Web3 offers a promising avenue to address ethical dilemmas associated with AI applications. Wulf A. Kaal, AI Governance Via Web3 Reputation System (2024). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4941807 **2025** - [5554218-021](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/5554218-021) [mechanism/asserted] *(failure mode)* -- Coded automation leads inevitably to corruption of the system and must be supplemented with decentralized governance of the code, which produces preferable outcomes and improved ethics. > (arguing that coded automation leads inevitably to corruption of the system and needs to be supplemented with decentralized governance of code, thus leading to preferable outcomes and improved ethics). Furrer Andreas, Wulf A. Kaal, Universal Digital Law Codex (UDLC) Building the Legal Infrastructure for the Digital Era (2025). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5554218 - [5554218-023](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/5554218-023) [failure/argued] *(failure mode)* -- The absence of accountability mechanisms in anonymous, automated smart contracts encourages a take the money and run mentality, which makes a historical record of conduct and incentives for ethical behavior necessary. > We argue that the absence of accountability mechanisms in anonymous, automated smart contracts encourages a "take the money and run" mentality, necessitating a historical record of conduct and incentives for ethical behavior. Furrer Andreas, Wulf A. Kaal, Universal Digital Law Codex (UDLC) Building the Legal Infrastructure for the Digital Era (2025). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5554218 - [5554218-037](https://wulfkaal.github.io/claims/5554218-037) [design/argued] -- A reputation system in which participants who act in good faith earn reputation credits and those acting opportunistically face penalties mitigates the take the money and run mentality that anonymity otherwise fosters. > For example, participants who act in good faith earn reputation credits, while those engaging in opportunistic actions face penalties, mitigating the "take the money and run" mentality fostered by anonymity. Furrer Andreas, Wulf A. Kaal, Universal Digital Law Codex (UDLC) Building the Legal Infrastructure for the Digital Era (2025). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5554218 ## Verify Every claim above resolves to a record carrying a verbatim source quote, the sha256 of the source PDF, and a preformatted citation. Nothing here asks to be taken on trust. curl -s https://wulfkaal.github.io/entities/ethics.md | sha256sum **Canonical form.** This markdown file is the canonical hashed representation of this entity node. Its sha256 is the content hash.