Ethics as a Beneficial Trojan Horse in a Technological Society.

This article explores the transformation of ethics in a globalizing technological society. After describing some basic features of this society, particularly the primacy it gives to a special type of technical rationality, three specific influences on traditional ethics are examined: (1) a change co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science & Engineering Ethics Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 13 - 27
Main Author: Queraltó, Ramón
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Mar2013
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:This article explores the transformation of ethics in a globalizing technological society. After describing some basic features of this society, particularly the primacy it gives to a special type of technical rationality, three specific influences on traditional ethics are examined: (1) a change concerning the notion of value, (2) the decreasing relevance of the concept of axiological hierarchy, and (3) the new internal architecture of ethics as a net of values. These three characteristics suggest a new pragmatic understanding of ethics. From a pragmatic perspective, the process of introducing ethical values into contemporary society can be regarded as a beneficial Trojan horse, a metaphor that will be developed further.