The Ethics of Technology: Methods and Approaches(Philosophy, Technology and Society)

About the Book

Our daily lives are affected by new technologies at an ever increasing rate. It is becoming more and more important to assess future technologies from an ethical point of view, and to do this before they are introduced on a massive scale. Such assessments require systematic use of many different kinds of knowledge.

In this important new book, an international team of leading experts in the field provides the first comprehensive treatment of the methods available for ethical assessments of technologies and their social introduction. The book explores how information from empirical research can be used in ethical analyses of technology and includes chapters showing how ethical analysis can shed light on topics such as privacy, risk, sustainability, dual use, gender issues, justice, international technology transfer, and the responsibility of engineers. It provides an invaluable resource for students in the philosophy and ethics of technology, science and technology studies, applied ethics, bioethics, business ethics and the ethics of computing.

Table of Contents:

Preface / Preview / 1. Introduction: Theories and methods for the ethics of technology Sven Ove Hansson /Part I Perspectives/ 2. Ethics of sustainability – an analytical approach Christine Rösch /3. International technology transfer Anthony I. Akubue / 4. Technology and distributive justice Sven Ove Hansson /5. Phenomenological approaches to technological ethics Robert Rosenberger / 6. Profession as a lens for studying technology Michael Davis / Part II Tools / 7. Case study methodologies Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn / 8. Ethical tools Payam Moula and Per Sandin / 9. Responsibility analysis Jessica Nihlén Fahlquist / 10. Privacy analysis – privacy impact assessment Stefan Strauß / 11. Ethical risk analysis Sven Ove Hansson Part III Emerging technologies/ 12. Ethics of emerging technologies Philip Brey / 13. Designing differently: Toward a methodology for an ethics of feminist technology design Diane Michelfelder, Galit Wellner, and Heather Wiltse / 14. Value-sensitive design and responsible research and innovation Judith Simon / Part IV Ethical reflections
15. The ethics of doing ethics of technology Sven Ove Hansson / List of contributors / Index

About the Author :
Sven Ove Hansson is Professor of the Philosophy of Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. He is a past president of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. His many publications include The Ethics of Risk (2013), Social and Ethical Aspects of Radiation Risk Management (2013, co-edited with Deborah Oughton), Norms in Technology (2013, co-edited with Marc J. de Vries and Anthonie W.M. Meijers), David Makinson on Classical Methods for Non-Classical Problems (2014), and The Role of Technology in Science: Philosophical Perspectives (forthcoming).

Review :
The Ethics of Technology. Methods and Approaches avoids the overly simplistic and individualistic approach to the ethics of technology, which might otherwise mislead the reader into a superficial understanding of the discipline. ... The collection of essays edited by Hansson is thus an important contribution to the growing body of literature on the ethics of technology, as it questions and brings to light the broader purpose of engineering and the conceptual tools required for the responsible practice of the profession if we are to enable engineers to address structural issues. The current societal debates around technology have certainly increased the need for a framework for moral reasoning within the design of, and policy for, technology. … The book may also contribute to a vocabulary that can cut across disciplines, and serve as an inspiration for ethical deliberation in technology research and societal debate. This book offers an overview of methods and approaches within the quickly growing field of ethics and technology. The book studies, amongst others, developmental and feminist perspectives, the topics responsibility and privacy, and case study methodologies. This book fills a major gap and will be an extremely helpful resource for scholars, students and practitioners working in this field. This volume, edited with major contributions by Sven Ove Hansson, a leading philosopher of technology, significantly advances ethical reflection on multiple manifestations of technology. By exploring such perspectives as those offered by sustainability and distributive justice, the tools of case study and responsibility analysis, and the phenomena of emerging technologies, the fifteen original essays collected here open a number of new vistas. The sixteen contributors also bring together new with more established contributors to the philosophy of technology. This is a book that will serve its intended audience well. This exciting volume has contributions from some of the leading scholars in the field. Every chapter is well-grounded in ethical theory, while displaying keen insight into practical matters. Readers seeking an orientation to the ethics of technology are provided with accessible introductions to many key topics, while those with more experience will discover novel ideas and new angles of approach. Highly recommended for both personal libraries and classroom applications. This excellent collection covers a wide range of issues revealing what an incredibly complicated topic the ethics of technology is. The papers included here make the case for a new discipline. The ethics of technology is not to be subsumed under standard ethical theories, nor treated as merely applied ethics. Because it involves both the technologies we create and the societies in which we live, the topic is too important to be swept under some inappropriate label and considered handled. What Hansson has done here is lay the foundations for returning philosophy to the job of helping people live in the world. The importance of this task cannot be under-estimated.