PHIL2205 - 01 - Ethics and Technology

(ER) Ethical Reasoning

Technology has and will continue to drive human advancement, but with advancement comes questions that have no easy answers: What is an ethical algorithm, and how can we create them? What does it mean to "own" something in the digital space? Who (if anyone) ought to be responsible for the content users post on social media platforms? Who (if anyone) has an obligation to ensure that technology is used properly? What might it mean to use emerging technologies, such as DNA testing, "responsibly"? How ought we to go about answering these and other questions, particularly when there is no obviously morally correct answer?In this course, students will consider some of the ethical dilemmas that individuals, businesses, and policy-makers will face in the wake of technological advancements. Students can expect to use reasoning and logical argumentation --the tools of philosophy --to devise their own approach to answering ethical questions about technology.