We can all agree that within the technology sector ethics
need to be incorporated. Datamining for example: Every key stroke we type is
reviewed by companies to sell things to us. We all know that data mining ethics
need to be evaluated and overhauled.
This is a well-known ethical issue, and definitely needs
some work, but I see some ethical concerns that stifle technological progress
from the permeation stage (technology is standardized) to the power stage
(technology is firmly established), as outlined by Moor's paper "Why we need better ethics for emerging technologies" (2005).
Let’s start with the emerged technology of clean energy. This
technology (solar, wind, etc.) is in the permeation stage and could be, without
a doubt, in the power stage at this very moment. Clean energy may be somewhat standardized, but
it is not our leading source of energy… Well, for no good reason I can think
of...
Due to what seems like unethical behavior from our presidential
administration (ignoring climate change, imposing tax cuts for coal and other fossil
fuel energy) shows that although a technology can be beneficial, human ethics
can impose on the stages, which negatively affect how the technology goes
through the three stages (introduction, permeation, and power stage).
Clean energy is an extreme example, as the technology was
forcibly ignored and discredited in lieu
of fossil fuels. For new emerging technologies technology administrations do
a cost-benefit to compare economic, health, and social returns.
The link just provided goes into detail of synthetic biology.
This synthesized biology shows a hinderance of a beneficial technology
hitting the power stage. Scientists synthesized chemicals found in the plant wormwood
(artemisinin), as these chemicals helped with malaria, and a synthesized source
lowers cost. Semisynthetic artemisinin has in turn ruined the market for the
wormwood plant, which affect farmers. However, the farmers would benefit from
the lower cost for health. The ethics entail whether the reduced drug cost
would outweigh the negative economic impact on farmers who grow the wormwood.
There is a common theme here: money. We see money imposing
on clean energy politics. And heavy consideration on the farmers negative
economic impact from the synthetic artemisinin (money) vs. potentially saving
millions of lives. Again, due to iffy political ethics this permeated
technology is not in the power stage.
Hi Ben,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the examples you have to support your idea. However, you don't address the point that you are trying to convey: ethics can actually prevent tech from becoming widely adopted, rather than (what Moor says) ethical problems growing from tech in the power stage.
I find this fact a good point for further discussion, but you should address it in the blog post to explicitly state the idea and incorporate more points from Moor's paper to argue against, rather than just using the concept of the stages.
Fossil fuels and renewable energy are important debates today is an excellent example, but the wormwood plant stuff is really good for talking about ethics.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I really understand the connection between the promotion of fossil fuels and Moor's stages. My understanding of Moor was ethics are needed to govern the new technology rather than the politics governing new technology.
If you shift the article to be more about the wormwood plant and its synthesizing, Moor would fit in very well as you could discuss the ethics behind putting an entire industry out of business