We are living in an era of rapid change, rapid technological innovation and rapid knowledge creation. Technologies not yet invented will be common in twenty years. What we do today will equip students to understand the moral dimensions of those new technologies.
Technological change is happening so rapidly, we don’t always have time to understand the moral and ethical implications of new technology. Is it good or bad? This is the place to examine the moral implications of some new technology and to look at who gets to decide what is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad’.
Bad Science?
If you've ever wondered how to understand if new technology or new medical advances are good for us or bad for us, or even if they just work or not, then have a look at Dr Ben Goldacre's site
He recently put out a book called 'Bad Science' which applies the rigor of science to claims that vitamin C help us ward off colds (false); homeopathy cures us (false); the placebo effect is real (very true); and the MMR vaccine is linked to autism (false). His blog is a great read, even if you take issue with some of his views. We are constantly bombarded with inaccurate, contradictory and sometimes misleading information about science and technology, let alone health. So anything that gives us the tools to uncover bad science for ourselves has got to be a good.
Are there types of robots that shouldn't be created? Should we use robots in military combat? Or is there actually nothing to worry about? Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute professor Illah Nourbakhsh addresses issues raised by recent book Wired for War by P.W. Singer and gives his personal take on ethics and robotics
