What, then, does the approach of moral mediation developed in this book imply for the ethics of technology? 1 Having elaborated an understanding of the moral significance of technology and its implications for the ethics of design and use, and having discussed the moral roles of technology that go beyond mediation, in this concluding chapter I would like to reflect on the place of the ...
The notion of moral mediation has made it possible to develop a closer understanding of the moral significance of technology and to take responsibility for it in practices of use and design. Yet the way the approach of moral mediation moves beyond the humanist bias in ethics does not cover all aspects of the moral significance of technologies.
Drawing from Heidegger and Foucault, as well as from philosophers of technology such as Don Ihde and Bruno Latour, it locates morality not just in the human users of technology but in the interaction between us and our machines. The book cites concrete examples, including some personal ones, and argues for the morality of things.
Abstract This chapter discusses the technologically mediated character of our daily lives and its important ethical implications. First of all, the quality of technology's contributions to our existence can be assessed in moral terms. Some roles played by technology can be referred to as “good” and other roles “bad”—even if it is not possible to lay the blame on technologies for them ...
Abstract This chapter focuses on the question of how to account for the moral role of technology in ethical theory. Qualifying as a moral agent requires at least the possession of intentionality and some degree of freedom. With respect to artifacts, it is argued here that both requirements are problematic. Utilizing the amodern approach, the concept of agency—including its aspects of ...