Ethics of Using Technology
On Ethics
Is it ethical to use a computer but have no basic understanding of how it works?
What? You must be crazy? That’s got nothing to do with ethics!
Actually it does. Ethics are the values we use to judge how we live our lives. If your life involves using technology (and it must do if you are reading this) then there must be ethical ways to use that technology and unethical ways too. If you do not have at least some liminal understanding of how your device works then you are unlikely to begin to understand the consequences of using it.
Furthermore the device would appear to you to work as if by magic. This is a weak position to be in with relation to the device.
You might argue it is not possible to fully understand how a device works down to the quantum level, but this is a facile argument. I am saying that you just need to know enough to understand the potential consequences of its use (or rather misuse). You might also argue that you do not have the time or energy to understand even the basics of all the technology you use. Maybe then you are using too much technology. Maybe you are living an unethical life.
On Responsibility
A consequence of atheism, Nietzsche said, is nihilism which could lead to a lack of purpose. He also said it could lead to populism because people will give into the beast-like leaders who offer certainty in the chaos, and this puts the individual in a weak position of subjugation.
Nietzsche argued to take the third way – define your purpose and go for it. Do not make Judaeo-Christian excuses that enslave you. Go beyond and over.
The Existentialists said that with this freedom from God, the individual becomes burdened with the responsibility to all mankind. Hans Jonas, Hannah Arendt and Aleksander Solzhenitsyn were each affected by the totaliterean regimes of the 20th century and each one emphasises that we must recognise our responsibilities to mankind.
Hans Jonas (1903-1993) was a German philosopher who emphasised that with advancements in modern technology come new ethical responsibilities. The atomic bomb is an obvious example of a technology that is potentially perilous. The pollution caused by the combustion engine endangers human life so we must understand how it works, what gases it emits and we must work to minimise its harm.
Related to this is Richard Stallman's Free Software movement. You cannot understand how a piece of computer code works unless you can read its source code. In developing my website, I have a responsibility to not obfuscate the code I use. For example, I intend to present mathematical equations in a neat legible way.
I could use a javascript called MathJax. It comes under the Apache License which means it is open to reading, modifying and redistributing. There is a free way to make images of equations but it looks terrible compared to MathJax's output. For further discussion see here and here.
Alastair Clarke
23 September 2018