The Nature and Areas of Technoethical Inquiry

Abstract

As illustrated in the preceding chapters, social and ethical concerns about technology are multifaceted and cannot be resolved through methods derived from any one discipline. Instead, a multi-tiered approach that draws on an interdisciplinary knowledge base is recommended to guide a proper technoethical inquiry advanced through knowledge and insights derived from multiple disciplines and literatures. This approach is desirable for achieving a more comprehensive picture of technology at the core of human life and society. Knowledge derived from the cross-fertilization of relevant areas of inquiry represents a potentially powerful set of knowledge building tools that can be used for maximizing the positive and minimizing the negative ethical aspects of technology in society. To this end, a systems approach to technoethical inquiry (chapter 4) was highlighted as an ideal methodology for studying the multi-faceted nature of ethical aspects of technology. This, however, does not negate the use of other methods and tools available to guide technoethical inquiry. Neither does it capture the nature and scope of technoethical inquiry within the real world of technology and humans.