TECHNOETHICS: CONCEPT, WHAT IT STUDIES AND PROBLEMS - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The technoetic is a discipline that defines the ethical and moral parameters that must follow the technological sciences not harm society. That is, this discipline is a branch of ethics that aims to inform about the moral implications linked to the use of technology.

Today, technoethics has become a constant topic of debate; This occurs because technological changes are developing much faster than a few decades ago, and judicial systems cannot adapt to that speed.

Technoethics is a discipline that defines the ethical and moral parameters that technological sciences must follow in order not to harm society.

For this reason, researchers and scientists settle on the need to use technology in a conscious way; They propose that new technological advances should be governed by an ethic based on respect and responsibility. In this way, it is avoided to harm the members of a society.

For example: one of the current approaches to technoethics is the use of the Internet. This happens because, although the Internet has made it possible to connect thousands of people worldwide and provide greater access to information, it has also brought with it negative aspects such as cyberbullying, digital fraud, among others. All these aspects are examined by technoethics.

Origin of technoethics

Although technoethics as a discipline is quite recent, the origin of the word is actually very old: it comes from the Greek terms techne and noetikos; the first is translated as "material manufacture or production" and the second as "consciousness or mind". Therefore, the union of these words could mean "consciousness about material fabrication".

As can be seen, technoethics not only refers to the conscious use of computers or electronic devices; actually it refers to any human-made artifact or object that has been created in order to improve its existence.

Mario Bunge (1919-2020)

Mario Bunge. Via wikimedia commons.

Likewise, one of the first authors to talk about the importance of technological ethics was the philosopher and physicist Mario Bunge, who in 1977 established the need for technologists to develop an “ethics of responsibility” that was applied to techno-scientific decisions..

According to Bunge, technologists should not only be responsible for their technical and professional decisions, but also to respect moral standards. In addition, this philosopher affirmed that all technological innovation will have collateral effects that will be unpredictable and in many cases undesirable.

For this reason, the author defended a technoethics that was made up of a series of rational regulations that guided technological and scientific progress. Bunge believed that every process or thing can be improved, however, it is necessary to respect social and natural limits.

What does technoethics study?

Technoethics aims to study the moral implications that arise as a consequence of technological development. In addition, it is characterized by being a very active and changing discipline.

This happens because, as new technological advances are developed, new questions also arise regarding the way in which these advances will affect society and individuals.

Branches of technoethics

Other disciplines emerge from technoethics, such as nanoethics, infoethics, and bioethics.

• Nanoethics refers to the moral implications related to the use of nanotechnology (manipulation and design of atomic or molecular matter).
• Infoethics analyzes the use of computer technologies (social networks, copyright).
• Bioethics studies the ethical aspects of life sciences (medicine, biology, among others).

Technoethics problems

Currently, technoethics is mainly focused on the following problems:

1- Internet and its uses

The Internet keeps millions of people connected around the world.

Many authors consider that the invention of the Internet has been - together with the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel - one of the most important creations of the human being. This is because the use of the Internet has completely changed the way people communicate, express themselves and even think.

Any type of information can be located on the Internet, which is an advantage for all those who have access to the network. In addition, it has also allowed the establishment of security systems that help reduce crimes and crimes.

However, the Internet has its negative aspects: as a result of its use, cyberbullying and cybercrimes have increased. In addition, its inappropriate use favors the trafficking of weapons, drugs, among others.

Likewise, the capacity of the Internet is so wide (its scope is infinite) that the authorities do not have enough tools to monitor all networks. For this reason, this is one of the problems that most worries the defenders of technoethics.

2- Genetic technology

Another problem that technoethics faces is the use of genetic technologies. These are used repeatedly not only in humans, but in many other aspects such as livestock or agriculture.

Genetic modifications have been around for a long time and have allowed man to increase food production and improve his quality of life.

However, what worries technoethics is how unpredictable and imprecise experimentation with genes can be; If the process is unsuccessful, mutations can arise that significantly alter the natural function of these particles.

- GMOs

Many farm foods are transgenic. Via pixabay.com

An example can be found in transgenic foods; These are produced from an organism that has been modified with the placement of particular genes to obtain a desired size / color / taste or appearance.

This is the case in common foods such as soybeans and corn, which are consumed in large quantities worldwide. Technoethics are concerned about the possible long-term effects that the consumption of these products can generate, such as allergens or certain levels of toxicity.

3- The environmental impact

One of the most debated topics in recent years has been the environmental impact generated by certain human practices. Among them, the use and manufacture of certain technological artifacts stands out, whose components - if they are not properly recycled - can strongly harm the ecosystem.

In addition, the creation of any artifact implies the use of implements that are not necessarily friendly to the environment (toxic substances, excessive use of water, among others). For this reason, technoethics is currently trying to implement policies that regulate the use of certain materials that are harmful to both humans and their habitat.

Electronic devices can be harmful to the environment if not recycled properly. Source: pixabay.com

To solve the problems mentioned above, technoethics seeks to educate not only technologists, but all other people about the importance of consciously using the tools and artifacts that we have at our disposal.

Likewise, technoethics tries to regulate the implementation of new technologies, that is, it is in charge of verifying that the next innovations are fruitful for the development of society.

References

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2. Barbudo, R. (sf) Environmental techno-ethics: transgenics. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from porticoluna.org
3. Contreras, S. (sf) 5 Ethical implications in technology development and application. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from Lifeder: lifeder.com
4. Echeverría, J. (2010) T ecnoscience, technoethics and technoaxiology. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from Redalyc: Redalyc.org
5. Fan, Z. (2018) The influence of technoethics on industrial design. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from matec-conferences.org
6. Luppicini, R. (2009) The emerging field of thechoethics. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from Semantic Scholar: pdfs.semanticsholar.org
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10. YELTIC, (2016) Technoethics: the link between mind and technology. Retrieved on April 1, 2020 from Medium: medium.com