Advancing technologies as both our saviour and our doom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21514964 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jesse Wall (0000-0003-1297-5182, University of Auckland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 131-132 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Medical Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-6800 • E-ISSN: 1473-4257 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/medethics-2021-107284 |
| OpenAlex | W3130336197 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 4 |
Olaf (from Disney’s Frozen 2 ) has a theory about advancing technologies being both our saviour and our doom. While we ought to avoid over-analysing claims of fictitious snowmen, we can pause to consider whether it is possible for an advancing technology to be both our saviour and our doom . I will maintain that it is. But for now, note how it is tempting to resolve the overlap by thinking about advancing technologies and individuals. In a possible reformulation of Olaf’s claim, advancing technology can be one person’s saviour, but in being so, is another person’s doom. This reformulation is a type of an ‘individualisation argument’ against advancing technology. Specifically, it is the claim that while an individual’s use of technology may solve their iteration of a problem, it may also undermine a societal response to the broader problem. Peterson, in this edition’s Feature Article, has this type of ‘individualisation argument’ in his sights when he considers its application to non-medical egg freezing (NMEF). That is, freezing an egg for social reasons (such as, to provide for more time to find a partner and/or to establish a career before embarking on parenthood) rather than medical reasons (such as, to treat a potentially threatening medical condition). Peterson formulates the ‘individualisation argument’ in the following way1: > P1: It is morally wrong to let individuals use technology X—in order to try to handle a problem that is social in nature—if the use of X will somehow work against a social solution to a social problem P. > > P2: If individuals make use of a technology like
Data science · Engineering ethics · Internet privacy · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Engineering · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |