Brandeis University

    PHIL 114B: Topics in Ethical Theory: Ethics and Technology

    Instructor: Jordan Kokot
    Prerequisites: None
    Course Description: From TikTok to Meta, and from CRISPR to digital gamification, Extended Reality, and the struggle against climate change, dramatic advances in technology are shaping our world and our lives like never before. This course investigates the moral, social, and political implications of these and other new technologies. How should we understand privacy and surveillance in the age of metadata? Will emerging biotechnologies and life-tracking metrics allow us to re-engineer humanity? Should we edit our genes or those of our children to extend human lives and enhance human abilities? Can geoengineering resolve the climate crisis? How will AI and robotics change the work world? Can machines be “conscious” and what would it mean if they can? Will AI help us reduce bias and combat bigotry, or make things worse? What does the explosion of social media mean for human agency? How can we live an act in meaningful ways in a world increasingly dominated by technological and capital forces?</br></br>This course will explore how technology and our attitudes towards it are transforming who we are, what we do, how we make friends, care for our health, and conduct our social and political lives. In doing so, we will also investigate fundamental philosophical and ethical questions about agency, integrity, virtue, “the good,” and what it means to be human in an uncertain and shifting world.</br></br>This course is designed to introduce you to the topic of Technology Ethics, or “Tech Ethics.” ‘Tech Ethics’ refers to both a dedicated field of academic philosophical research that encompasses a broad array of questions and dilemmas engendered by the development of modern technologies, and to the ethical elements of the even broader social and political conversation that has arisen around emerging technologies. Consequently, for the bulk of the semester, we will alternate between investigating contemporary ethical dilemmas through concrete real-world case studies and reading recent academic articles and papers to help clarify and the ethical and philosophical issues involved in those cases.</br></br>However, before we can directly engage with real-world technologies and dilemmas, we will first need to lay some groundwork in Unit 1, “Philosophy, Ethics, and Technology” by discussing a) the “ontology of technology,” (what is technology) b) some of the basic principles of ethical theory, and c) how we might conceptualize the “relationship between” technology and its human creators and users. The picture that will emerge over the course of the first unit (and the semester as whole) is that technology and humanity are and have always been so deeply interwoven that the two are both conceptually and experientially inextricable. Human “nature” is fundamentally technological, and technology is fundamentally human. Both constantly shape and modify each other.</br></br>After these preliminary investigations, we will dig deeper into two sets of techno-ethical questions and investigate a series of contemporary issues. In Unit 2 “Technology & the World,” we will ask the question, “How does technology (re)shape our world and our relationship to it?” Topics will include Geo Engineering and Environmental Justice; VR/XR/AR and the Metaverse; Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Justice; Robots, Labor, and War; and Metrics, Data, and Gamification.</br></br>In Unit 3, “Technology & Humanity,” we will ask “How does technology (re)shape who we are and how we relate to ourselves and to others?” In this unit we will discuss both Digital and Biological “Transhumanism;” Social Media, Privacy, and Surveillance; Deep Fakes; Augmentation Technologies (both mechanical and biological); and the general state of our techno-social world.</br></br>Along the way, we will work to develop standards of good argumentation and dialogue, practice careful reading, and try our hands at philosophical writing. Our goal is to develop a small community of curious and supportive minds who can help each other grow as learners, writers, and thinkers. In leaving this class, you should feel better prepared to engage with your peers about some of the most difficult questions, not just of our time, but of all times. </br></br>In addition to the assigned readings, your learning will be scaffolded by a series of short exercises and assignments designed to help you develop careful reading skills, ask powerful questions, and practice moral and philosophical reasoning. These exercises will be assigned on a roughly weekly basis. Starting in unit two, you will also be asked at to “take point” for one of our discussions this semester, along with a peer. The two of you will be responsible for leading your classmates through a guided discussion on the topic of the week, which may involve some additional reading and preparation. Finally, your main assignment for the semester will be to develop a research project of your own on one of the topics of the class. Starting about a third of the way through the semester, you will be asked to submit a series of preparatory documents (including an annotated bibliography and a research proposal) in preparation to either write a term paper or give an in-class presentation. These projects may be collaborative, though the final product will be your responsibility. I am also open to more creative/experimental research projects, but please reach out to me early in the process if you would like to try something a bit different. Depending on time constraints, we may compile our work into an online class journal (you can see examples of journals from previous classes here: www.techandethics.com) </br></br>This class is only an introduction. Every topic we touch on in this course is the subject of its own dedicated field of inquiry with an expansive existing literature! It is my hope that this class will be a doorway for further and deeper thinking for all of you.
    Session: Session II
    Day: T, W, Th
    Time: 1:50pm - 4:20pm
    Credit Hours: 4 Credits
    Course Format: Remote Learning Course for Summer 2023
    Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: HUM, WI
    Enrollment Limit:
    Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course
    Course Tuition: $3,490
    Course Fees: None
    Open to High School Students: Yes