Reflection

Reflecting on the design ethics seminar, I feel like I’ve gained valuable insights about how technology is woven into every part of our lives. Don Ihde's idea of the "technological texture to life" really stuck with me: technology is always there, influencing everything we do, often without us even noticing.

One of the big discussions in the class was whether technology is neutral. At first, I thought that technology was just a tool, and its impact depended on how people used it, as Joseph Pitt suggested. But after hearing about thinkers like Lucy Suchman and Donna Haraway, I realized that technology is not neutral. It reflects the values and biases of the people who create and use it. Haraway’s "Cyborg Manifesto" and Suchman’s work showed that technology is deeply connected to our social and cultural contexts. This has big implications, especially with AI, which can reinforce existing biases, like in the COMPAS case where the algorithm unfairly rated black people as higher risks for re-offending.

Soft determinism provides a more balanced view. It says that while technology affects society, society also shapes technology. This mutual influence means we need to think carefully about the ethics of technology design. For example, the washing machine made doing laundry easier but also created new cleanliness standards, which increased the workload for women. This shows how technology can change societal norms.

The class also covered various ethical theories, giving us different ways to think about the impact of technologies and how ethics should be considered when designing them. From Kantian deontology, which focuses on duty and principles, to consequentialism or utilitarianism, which looks at the outcomes of actions, and virtue ethics, which is about developing good character, each perspective has something to offer. But when it comes to technology, we need to balance these views. For example, a utilitarian approach might focus on the overall benefits of AI but might miss individual harms, so a deontological approach could help ensure fairness.

I especially resonated with the concept of care ethics, discussed by Carol Gilligan and Joan Tronto, which emphasizes being sensitive to the needs and vulnerabilities of others. For technology, this means designers should think about how their creations affect people and non-human agents. Care ethics highlight the relative and relational essence of life, which is central to how I approach life, and which I try to take into account in my design practice.