Is There a Duty to Be a Digital Minimalist

Bibliographic Data

ID21497350
AuthorsTimothy Aylsworth (0000-0001-8164-3451, Department of Philosophy Florida International University Miami FL 33199 USA, corresponding author), Clinton Castro (0000-0003-4740-0055, Department of Philosophy Florida International University Miami FL 33199 USA)
Year2021
Volume38
Issue4
Pages662-673
Publication date2021-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0264-3758 • E-ISSN: 1468-5930
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/japp.12498
OpenAlexW3129552917
LanguageEN
Citations received8

The harms associated with wireless mobile devices (e.g. smartphones) are well documented. They have been linked to anxiety, depression, diminished attention span, sleep disturbance, and decreased relationship satisfaction. Perhaps what is most worrying from a moral perspective, however, is the effect these devices can have on our autonomy. In this article, we argue that there is an obligation to foster and safeguard autonomy in ourselves, and we suggest that wireless mobile devices pose a serious threat to our capacity to fulfill this obligation. We defend the existence of an imperfect duty to be a ‘digital minimalist’. That is, we have a moral obligation to be intentional about how and to what extent we use these devices. The empirical findings already justify prudential reasons in favor of digital minimalism, but the moral duty is distinct from and independent of prudential considerations

Autonomy · Business · Duty · Internet privacy · Law and economics · Moral obligation · Neglect · Obligation · Political science · Sociology · Computer Science · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Law · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Privacy, Security, and Data Protection · Psychology

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