Are there comparisons between the impersonal interstate highway and the information highway of cyberspace interactions? In impersonal interactions, there is no clear sense that the other is like me. In face-to-face interactions, the other’s humanity is clear, which imposes ethical demands.

This book will interest students of modern ethics, psychology, and the human factors of cyberspace. Utilizing an uncommon presentation style, and referencing philosophers such as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Emmanuel Levinas, Ploug’s work is best suited for a graduate seminar. Specifically, it expands upon Levinas’ concept of “the face of the other.” As Ploug states, cyberspace “involve[s] the loss of perceptual access to the bodily face of the interacting party.”

Ploug discusses the extent to which, in theory at least, anonymous interactions in cyberspace encourage a different ethical response than direct human interactions. One limitation of this study is that it is pure theory. Ploug speculates that future research might test this hypothesis. If interactions that do not involve face-to-face interactions encourage different ethical responses, this may have significant implications for the structure and interactions within virtual communities.

While this book does contain a bibliography and a brief index, it does not summarize the main points or suggest exercises. I found it a difficult read, which perhaps reflects my own limitations as much as the text’s. Nevertheless, if there is a need for face time in ethics and human interactions, this book is a valuable first step.