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 Conduct

Ex: Ethical Values for Young People• Trustworthiness• Respect• Responsibility• Fairness• Caring• Citizenship• The Golden Rule?• Study: Lying,

cheating teens become lying, cheating adults

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 TechnologyDeveloping 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)

• 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?