Rethinking technology, revitalizing ethics: Overcoming barriers to ethical design
Science and Engineering Ethics 6 (2):207-220 (2000)
| Abstract | This paper explores the role of ethics in design. Traditionally, ethical questions have been seen as marginal issues in the design of technology. Part of the reason for this stems from the widely held notion of technology being “out of control.” This notion is a barrier to what I call “ethical design” because it implies that ethics has no role to play in the development of technology. This view, however, is challenged by recent work in the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). Looking into the dynamics of technological change, STS scholars argue that human choices are present at every stage of a technology’s development and, furthermore, that human values are reflected in the very design of artifacts. This alternative view suggests that ethics can and should be included in the design process. Drawing on examples from the privacy arena. I point to some of the potential advantages of addressing ethical concerns early on in the design of a technology. I conclude with some general strategies for bringing ethics back into design. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,664 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesAimee Wynsberghe (forthcoming). Designing Robots for Care: Care Centered Value-Sensitive Design. Science and Engineering Ethics.
Barry Allen (2008). Artifice and Design: Art and Technology in Human Experience. Cornell University Press.
Philippe D.’Anjou (2010). Toward an Horizon in Design Ethics. Science and Engineering Ethics 16 (2).
Maja van der Velden (2009). Design for a Common World: On Ethical Agency and Cognitive Justice. Ethics and Information Technology 11 (1).
Mary L. Cummings (2006). Integrating Ethics in Design Through the Value-Sensitive Design Approach. Science and Engineering Ethics 12 (4).
Harold Salzman (1991). Engineering Perspectives and Technology Design in the United States. AI and Society 5 (4):339-356.
Asle H. Kiran (2012). Responsible Design. A Conceptual Look at Interdependent Design–Use Dynamics. Philosophy and Technology 25 (2):179-198.
Anders Albrechtslund (2007). Ethics and Technology Design. Ethics and Information Technology 9 (1).
Martin Brigham & Lucas D. Introna (2007). Invoking Politics and Ethics in the Design of Information Technology: Undesigning the Design. Ethics and Information Technology 9 (1).
Toni Robertson (2006). Ethical Issues in Interaction Design. Ethics and Information Technology 8 (2).
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads9 ( #113,980 of 549,007 )Recent downloads (6 months)0How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
