The Ethics of Invention: Technology and the Human Future

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Social Aspects, Engineering, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book The Ethics of Invention: Technology and the Human Future by Sheila Jasanoff, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sheila Jasanoff ISBN: 9780393253856
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: August 30, 2016
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Sheila Jasanoff
ISBN: 9780393253856
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: August 30, 2016
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

We live in a world increasingly governed by technology—but to what end?

Technology rules us as much as laws do. It shapes the legal, social, and ethical environments in which we act. Every time we cross a street, drive a car, or go to the doctor, we submit to the silent power of technology. Yet, much of the time, the influence of technology on our lives goes unchallenged by citizens and our elected representatives. In The Ethics of Invention, renowned scholar Sheila Jasanoff dissects the ways in which we delegate power to technological systems and asks how we might regain control.

Our embrace of novel technological pathways, Jasanoff shows, leads to a complex interplay among technology, ethics, and human rights. Inventions like pesticides or GMOs can reduce hunger but can also cause unexpected harm to people and the environment. Often, as in the case of CFCs creating a hole in the ozone layer, it takes decades before we even realize that any damage has been done. Advances in biotechnology, from GMOs to gene editing, have given us tools to tinker with life itself, leading some to worry that human dignity and even human nature are under threat. But despite many reasons for caution, we continue to march heedlessly into ethically troubled waters.

As Jasanoff ranges across these and other themes, she challenges the common assumption that technology is an apolitical and amoral force. Technology, she masterfully demonstrates, can warp the meaning of democracy and citizenship unless we carefully consider how to direct its power rather than let ourselves be shaped by it. The Ethics of Invention makes a bold argument for a future in which societies work together—in open, democratic dialogue—to debate not only the perils but even more the promises of technology.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

We live in a world increasingly governed by technology—but to what end?

Technology rules us as much as laws do. It shapes the legal, social, and ethical environments in which we act. Every time we cross a street, drive a car, or go to the doctor, we submit to the silent power of technology. Yet, much of the time, the influence of technology on our lives goes unchallenged by citizens and our elected representatives. In The Ethics of Invention, renowned scholar Sheila Jasanoff dissects the ways in which we delegate power to technological systems and asks how we might regain control.

Our embrace of novel technological pathways, Jasanoff shows, leads to a complex interplay among technology, ethics, and human rights. Inventions like pesticides or GMOs can reduce hunger but can also cause unexpected harm to people and the environment. Often, as in the case of CFCs creating a hole in the ozone layer, it takes decades before we even realize that any damage has been done. Advances in biotechnology, from GMOs to gene editing, have given us tools to tinker with life itself, leading some to worry that human dignity and even human nature are under threat. But despite many reasons for caution, we continue to march heedlessly into ethically troubled waters.

As Jasanoff ranges across these and other themes, she challenges the common assumption that technology is an apolitical and amoral force. Technology, she masterfully demonstrates, can warp the meaning of democracy and citizenship unless we carefully consider how to direct its power rather than let ourselves be shaped by it. The Ethics of Invention makes a bold argument for a future in which societies work together—in open, democratic dialogue—to debate not only the perils but even more the promises of technology.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Authority by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Sylvanus Now: A Novel by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book The Chan's Great Continent: China in Western Minds by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Collected Poems by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Psychotherapy Essentials to Go: Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depression by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book American Mania: When More is Not Enough by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Universal Rights Down to Earth (Norton Global Ethics Series) by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Honey for the Bears by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Lavoisier in the Year One: The Birth of a New Science in an Age of Revolution (Great Discoveries) by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King's Last Campaign by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book The Meaning of Night: A Confession by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book The Ladies Auxiliary: A Novel by Sheila Jasanoff
Cover of the book Family Wellness Skills: Quick Assessment and Practical Interventions for the Mental Health Professional by Sheila Jasanoff
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy