Ethics and Technology

What are Ethics? A branch of philosophy that studies human actions – Deals with good vs. evil / right vs. wrong – Justice / equity – Virtue Sample ethical questions consider … – What is proper behavior under different situations? – Unintended consequences

Sources of Ethics Religion – Judeo-Christian ethic – Eastern religions Family (parents) Schools – Character education programs Professional training – CPA, MD, JD, etc – Ex – Professional Rules of ConductProfessional Rules of Conduct

Ex: Ethical Values for Young People Trustworthiness Respect Responsibility Fairness Caring Citizenship The Golden Rule? Study: Lying, cheating teens become lying, cheating adults Study

How do Ethics and Technology Relate? Technology: the practical application of science to society, commerce, or industry Tech. is basically tool making; thus tech itself is incapable of possessing moral or ethical qualities Two subdivisions – Development of new tech – Tech’s extending or limiting the power of individuals

Ethics and Technology Developing New Tech Creation of nuclear weapons Job replacing technology Q: What are the ethical implications of a tech creation? +/- Power of Individuals Cloning Genetic screening for parents Q: Just b/c we can do something, should we?

Nuclear Weapons Nuclear (fission) bomb (“Atomic bomb”) – Dropped on Hiroshima, Nagasaki – Least “technical” bomb to build – Yield = 500 kt (500,000 tons of TNT) Hydrogen (fission + fusion) bomb – Thermonuclear device – Developed 1952 in US, 1955 USSR – Yield = sky’s the limit (largest detonated = 50 megatons, or 50 million tons of TNT) – For comparison’s sake… 5 MT bomb = more destructive force than all explosives used during WWII 20 MT = more destructive force than all explosives used in history

Ethics of Nuclear Weapons Strategic framework – Cold War: Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) = deterrence – Post Cold War focus on non-proliferation Non-proliferation = limiting the spread of nukes Purpose: keep “nuclear club” small, to reduce danger of unstable regime obtaining nukes

Ethics of Nuclear Weapons Nukes pose a threat – Mankind – Civilization – World eco-system Efforts to regulate their use persist – International Court of Justice outlawed their use (1999) – Non-Proliferation Treaty (1970) – Nuclear arms reduction treaties Are these regulations realistic?

Just b/c we can do something, should we? Therapeutic Cloning – AKA embryo cloning – Production of human embryos for use in research – Goal: create human embryos in dish, then after 5-7 days, harvest stem cells for research, disease treatment – Harvesting kills human embryo: ethical concerns?

Just b/c we can do something, should we? Reproductive cloning process – Starvation and implantation of DNA from cells of one organism into an egg whose DNA nucleus has been removed – Resulting egg and nucleus are shocked (chemically treated) so that the egg behaves as if it had been fertilized – Embryonic development begins, with entire genetic code of original organism being reproduced

Cloning Problems with cloning – Experiments on mammals have resulted in clinical failures, resulting in “miscarriage” (98%+) – In human terms, hundreds of abortions or births of massively deformed offspring likely (size, no immune function) – Other defects from reprogramming of the egg don’t manifest themselves until later in life, resulting in spectacular unforeseen death of clones – No idea of effects of cloning on higher level thinking 11 week old human embryo

Uses of Cloning Gene therapy (used to treat certain genetic conditions) Genetically engineered food (taste, disease resistance) food Anticipated uses – Develop specially qualified animals (food, human disease treatment) – Repopulate endangered animals – Produce healthy human organs from donor, for replacement in donor

Some Ethical Questions Concerning Cloning Is a cloned embryo the same thing as a conceived embryo? Does a clone have a soul? Does a cloned child have the right to an open future? Does a human clone have the same rights as conceived human? If humans “make” their children rather than “have” them, are they playing God?