The Technological Dilemma

"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world."

Albert Camus

In a world where to fail quick and iterate quicker are common catchphrases amongst the tech community, one wonder’s who is the one thinking about long-term implications on society? Who is the one who puts the breaks on ideas that may cause more harm than good if not regulated? Who is the one who speaks on behalf of our future generations? The short answer is no one.

This has been something that has been at the front of my mind for over a year, and it seems to be at the front of many Silicon Valley leaders too. Whether it’s organizations like the Center for Humane Technology that advocate for realigning technology with humanity's best interests or the recent case opened up against Facebook for monopolizing the social sphere of tech - many recognize we are lacking in both ethical frameworks and regulation in the realm of tech.

In my next few posts, I want to discuss this dilemma from all angles. What can be regulated, but shouldn’t be? Will regulation hinder innovation? What ethical decisions have a waterfall effect for generations to come?

I will let the 3 primary pillars in ethics that philosophers use in their attempt to decide upon the most ethical decision be my guide. Virtue ethics, consequentialist ethics, and deontological ethics.

See you in the next post!