Technology as a subject for ethics.
- JONAS, H. (1982). Technology as a Subject for Ethics. Social Research, 49(4), 891-898. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/40971222hat ethics most generally speaking has a say in matters of technology, or that technology is subject to ethical considerations, follows from the simple fact that technology is an exercise of human power, that is, a form of action, and all human action is answerable to moral scrutiny. It is also a truism that one and the same power can be for good and for evil, and that in wielding it one can abide by ethical norms or violate them. Technology, as vastly enhanced human power, clearly falls under this general truth. But does it constitute a special case, requiring an effort of ethical thought different from that which befits every human action and has been sufficient for all its kinds in the past? My thesis is that it does indeed constitute a novel and special case, for reasons of which I will indicate five that impress me in particular.
What is Proof of Concept Research and How Does it Generate Epistemetic and Ethical Categories for Future Scientific Practice
Kendig, Catherine (2015) “What is proof of concept research and how does it generate epistemic and ethical categories for future scientific practice?” Science and Engineering Ethics. DOI:10.1007/s11948- 015-9654-0 Retrieved from https://plcscotch.softlinkhosting.com.au/oliver/home/resources/details/e121115e0a0000a66b8008250041b65a
- Kendig, Catherine (2015) “What is proof of concept research and how does it generate epistemic and ethical categories for future scientific practice?” Science and Engineering Ethics. DOI:10.1007/s11948- 015-9654-0 Retrieved from https://plcscotch.softlinkAlthough there has been much philosophical investigation into the disciplinary foundations of synthetic biology, the diversity of knowledge-making distinctions, methodologies, tools, and resultant products of these (cf. Morange 2009; O’Malley et al. 2008; O’Malley 2009, 2010; Keller 2009; Stich 2006), articulation of the meaning and ethical impacts of some key concepts used within it remain unanalyzed.
I focus on one of these: proof of concept.
Experiments, Ethics and New Technologies
- Doorn, N. Spruit, S& Robaey, Z. (2016, January). Editors Overview: Experiments, Ethics and New Technologies. Springerlink. 22 607 - 611. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-015-9748-8#citeasTechnology has always been a vital component of human development, most often aimed at the advancement of human well-being. However, the introduction of new technologies may also introduce harmful consequences. Indeed, we often do not know beforehand the full spectrum of potential impacts and hazards that these new technologies may bring about. Conventional approaches to risk governance are not directly applicable to these fields due to high levels of uncertainty and ignorance. The inadequacies of these conventional approaches do not, however, warrant categorically rejecting the introduction of new technologies. At the same time, since those uncertain or unknown technological risks and dangers often only materialize after a long time (e.g., asbestos, DDT), there seems to be a need for flexible approaches that are adaptive to new information about the impact of technologies.
Applying Ethics to IT Issues
- Mason, R (1995, December). Applying Ethic to Information Technology Issues. (12) 55 -57. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220424257_Applying_Ethics_to_Information_Technology_IssuesThe articles in this special section express a common theme: the use of information technology in society is creating a rather unique set of ethical issues that requires the making of new moral choices on the part of society and has spawned special implications for its members. Technology itself is not the only, nor necessarily the most responsible, cause of these issues. All ethical questions arise initially out of human agency.
The normative background of empirical-ethical Research: first steps towards a transparent and reasoned approach in the selection of an ethical theory.
- Salloch, S., Waschen, S., Vollmann, J., & Schildmann, J. (2015, April). The normative background of empirical-ethical research: first steps towards a transparent and reasoned approach in the selection of an ethical theory. BMC Medical Ethics. (16) 20. ReEmpirical-ethical research constitutes a relatively new field which integrates socio-empirical research and normative analysis. As direct inferences from descriptive data to normative conclusions are problematic, an ethical framework is needed to determine the relevance of the empirical data for normative argument. While issues of normative-empirical collaboration and questions of empirical methodology have been widely discussed in the literature, the normative methodology of empirical-ethical research has seldom been addressed. Based on our own research experience, we discuss one aspect of this normative methodology, namely the selection of an ethical theory serving as a background for empirical-ethical research.
How to shape a better future? Epistemic difficulties for ethical assessment and anticipatory governance of emerging technologies
- Mittelstadt, B., Stahl, B., & Fairweather, N. (2015). How to Shape a Better Future? Epistemic Difficulties for Ethical Assessment and Anticipatory Governance of Emerging Technologies. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 18(5), 1027-1047. Retrieved https://Empirical research into the ethics of emerging technologies, often involving foresight studies, technology assessment or application of the precautionary principle, raises significant epistemological challenges by failing to explain the relative epistemic status of contentious normative claims about future states. This weakness means that it is unclear why the conclusions reached by these approaches should be considered valid, for example in anticipatory ethical assessment or governance of emerging technologies. This paper explains and responds to this problem by proposing an account of how the epistemic status of uncertain normative claims can be established in ethical and
Methods for Practising Ethics in Research and Innovation: A literature Review, Critical Analysis and Recommendations
- Reijers, W., Wright, D., Brey, P. et al. Methods for Practising Ethics in Research and Innovation: A Literature Review, Critical Analysis and Recommendations. Sci Eng Ethics 24, 1437–1481 . Retrieved from https://plcscotch.softlinkhosting.com.au:443/oliveThis paper provides a systematic literature review, analysis and discussion of methods that are proposed to practise ethics in research and innovation (R&I). Ethical considerations concerning the impacts of R&I are increasingly important, due to the quickening pace of technological innovation and the ubiquitous use of the outcomes of R&I processes in society. For this reason, several methods for practising ethics have been developed in different fields of R&I.
Towards the epistemology of the internet of things
- Freiman, Ori (2014). Towards the Epistemology of the Internet of Things: Techno-Epistemology and Ethical Considerations Through the Prism of Trust. International Review of Information Ethics(2):6-22. Retrieved from https://plcscotch.softlinkhosting.com.auThis paper discusses the epistemology of the Internet of Things [IoT] by focusing on the topic of trust. It presents various frameworks of trust, and argues that the ethical framework of trust is what constitutes our responsibility to reveal desired norms and standards and embed them in other frameworks of trust. The first section briefly presents the IoT and scrutinizes the scarce philosophical work that has been done on this subject so far. The second section suggests that the field of epistemology is not sufficiently capable of dealing with technologies, and presents a possible solution to this problem.
Ethics of Emerging Technology
- Brey, P. (2017) Ethics of Emerging Technologies In S.O. Hanson ED. Methods for the Ethics of Technology. Rowman & Littlefield International. Retrieved from https://plcscotch.softlinkhosting.com.au:443/oliver/OpacLogin?corporation=scotchplc&url=%2Fhome%2FThis chapter surveys ethical approaches to emerging technology. In recent years, emerging technologies have become a major topic of study in the ethics of technology, which has increasingly focused its attention on early-stage intervention in technology development. A number of specific approaches and methods have now been developed for the field, which in many ways is still in its infancy. The main problem for the ethics of emerging technology is the problem of uncertainty (Sollie, 2007): how to deal with the uncertainty of future products, uses and consequences, and associated ethical issues that will result from an emerging technology.