Robert Sparrow proposes a Socratic approach to uncover the ethical and political dimensions of technology. This method involves asking a series of questions that highlight the ethical concerns and implications of a given technology. The author structures the questions in five categories: (1) technology and power, (2) technology and social justice, (3) technology, values and the environment, (4) technology and the human experience, and (5) process, consultation, and iteration.
The author argues that the Socratic approach can help identify ethical challenges in technology and facilitate discussions on the implications of technology in various aspects of society. The questions raised cover a wide range of issues, from power imbalances and social inequalities resulting from the adoption of technology, to the potential impact on the environment and human experiences. Furthermore, the author highlights the importance of considering the processes and procedures involved in developing and adopting a technology, as well as the need for user involvement in the design process, consultation with affected parties, and mechanisms for identifying and addressing ethical issues.
By using a Socratic approach, the paper emphasizes the need to critically evaluate technologies and their potential consequences rather than passively accepting them. The author contends that the ethical implications of technologies cannot be fully understood or addressed without considering the broader political context in which they are developed and deployed. As a result, the paper argues that empowering citizens and fostering open dialogue on the ethical implications of technology is vital in creating a more just, equitable, and hospitable world.
The paper’s insights into the politics of technology resonate with broader philosophical debates on the nature of power, justice, and responsibility in the context of technological advancements. By focusing on the Socratic method, the author also contributes to ongoing discussions on the epistemology of ethics in relation to technology. This approach highlights the importance of critical thinking and dialectical engagement in uncovering the ethical complexities of technology and its impact on society.
For future research, it would be valuable to explore the application of the Socratic approach to specific case studies, examining how the questions posed in this paper can help uncover the ethical dimensions of various technologies in practice. Additionally, it would be beneficial to investigate the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration between philosophy, social sciences, and technology development in order to better address the ethical and political concerns raised by emerging technologies. This would further enrich the discourse on the politics of technology and contribute to the development of more ethical and socially responsible technological innovations.
Abstract
That technologies may raise ethical issues is now widely recognised. The ‘responsible innovation’ literature – as well as, to a lesser extent, the applied ethics and bioethics literature – has responded to the need for ethical reflection on technologies by developing a number of tools and approaches to facilitate such reflection. Some of these instruments consist of lists of questions that people are encouraged to ask about technologies – a methodology known as the ‘Socratic approach’. However, to date, these instruments have often not adequately acknowledged various political impacts of technologies, which are, I suggest, essential to a proper account of the ethical issues they raise. New technologies can make some people richer and some people poorer, empower some and disempower others, have dramatic implications for relationships between different social groups and impact on social understandings and experiences that are central to the lives, and narratives, of denizens of technological societies. The distinctive contribution of this paper, then, is to offer a revised and updated version of the Socratic approach that highlights the political, as well as the more traditionally ethical, issues raised by the development of new technologies.
Technology ethics assessment: Politicising the ‘Socratic approach’