The Attention Economy and the Right to Attention: Some Lessons from Theravāda and Mahāyāna Thought.

Much of the work in the rapidly growing field of computer ethics relies on the concepts and theories of Western philosophy. With this article my aim is to help stimulate conversations that draw on a wider range of ethical perspectives. I build on recent work on the sense in which the regular operati...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Buddhist Ethics Vol. 32; pp. 75 - 98
Autor principal: Fortney, Mark
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Daniel Geoffrey Cozort 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Much of the work in the rapidly growing field of computer ethics relies on the concepts and theories of Western philosophy. With this article my aim is to help stimulate conversations that draw on a wider range of ethical perspectives. I build on recent work on the sense in which the regular operations of the attention economy might violate our right to attention, and I do so through looking to a range of Theravāda and Mahāyāna Buddhist texts. As I argue, these texts should inspire us to realize that we have more than just the right to direct our attention as we will and the right to be free from distraction. This is because there is a third right to attention that the recent literature overlooks, namely the right to strengthen our ordinarily weak capacity to control our attention.