Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us

Taye Birhanu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

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Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us

Taye Birhanu

Published in International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 8, Issue 5)

Received: 12 August 2020 Accepted: 24 August 2020 Published: 8 September 2020

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Abstract

The paper exposes the non-neutrality of modern technologies in general and communication and information technologies in particular by focusing on the biases and discriminations that are built-in or embedded in the designs and operation systems of technological artefacts of now a days. The central argument of this paper is that modern technologies are shaping and controlling our life on daily basis often unknown to us, though they appear neutral objects at first glance. The current controversial status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human thinking is another main theme of the paper in which it is clearly and strongly argued that it is not worth living to delegate the works of our mind to AI or thinking machines, though there is a tendency of co-acting and sharing the most important distinctive feature/character (creative thinking) of human beings among thinking machines and human beings. Here, arises the need for democratizing and transforming the mainstream of design, operation and decision making in the realm of modern technologies, which in turn requires a thorough critical evaluation and philosophical enquiry into the design and operation of modern technological artefacts.

Published in	International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 8, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
Page(s)	94-99
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Design, Technologists, Technological Artefacts, Non-neutrality, Artificial Intelligence (AI)

References

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[2]	Bostrom, N., and Milan M. Ć., eds. (2008) Global Catastrophic Risks. NewYork: Oxford University Press.
[3]	Brey, P. (2009). ‘Values in Technology and Disclosive Computer Ethics’, The Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics, Ed. L. Floridi, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[4]	Dusek, V. (2006) Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction. London: Blackwell.
[5]	Feenberg, A. (1999) Questioning Technology. London: Routledge.
[6]	Feenberg, A. (2002) Transforming Technology: A Critical Theory Revisited. New York: Oxford University Press
[7]	Good, Irving J. (1965) “Speculations Concerning the First Ultra intelligent Machine.” In Advances in Computers, edited by Franz L. Alt and Morris Rubinoff, 3188. Vol.6. New York: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/S0065-2458(08)604180.
[8]	Haraway, D. (1991) “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century”, in Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge, pp. 149-181.
[9]	Howard, P. (1994) The Death of Common Sense: How Law is Suffocating America. New York: Random House.
[10]	Kurzweil, R. (2005) The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. New York: Viking.
[11]	Latour, B. (1990) ‘On Actor-Network Theory. A few Clarifications plus more than a few A few complications’ in Soziale Welt, Vol. 47, pp. 369-381, 1996.
[12]	Omohundro, Stephen M. 2008. “The Basic AI Drives.” In Artificial General Intelligence 2008: Proceedings of the First AGI Conference, edited by Pei Wang, Ben Goertzel, and Stan Franklin, 483492. Frontiersin Artificial Intelligence and Applications 171. Amsterdam: IOS.
[13]	Pitt, J. (2000) Thinking about Technology: Foundations of Philosophy of Technology. New York: Seven Bridges Press.
[14]	Warren, Mary. (1997) Moral Status: Obligations to Persons and Other Living Things. Issues in Biomedical Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198250401.001. 0001.
[15]	Yudkowsky, E. (2008) “Artificial Intelligence as a Positive and Negative Factorin Global Risk. ”In Global Catastrophic Risks, edited by Nick Bostromand Milan M. Ćirković, 308–345. NewYork: Oxford University Press.

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Taye Birhanu. (2020). Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 8(5), 94-99. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

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ACS Style

Taye Birhanu. Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2020, 8(5), 94-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

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AMA Style

Taye Birhanu. Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2020;8(5):94-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11,
  author = {Taye Birhanu},
  title = {Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {8},
  number = {5},
  pages = {94-99},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  abstract = {The paper exposes the non-neutrality of modern technologies in general and communication and information technologies in particular by focusing on the biases and discriminations that are built-in or embedded in the designs and operation systems of technological artefacts of now a days. The central argument of this paper is that modern technologies are shaping and controlling our life on daily basis often unknown to us, though they appear neutral objects at first glance. The current controversial status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human thinking is another main theme of the paper in which it is clearly and strongly argued that it is not worth living to delegate the works of our mind to AI or thinking machines, though there is a tendency of co-acting and sharing the most important distinctive feature/character (creative thinking) of human beings among thinking machines and human beings. Here, arises the need for democratizing and transforming the mainstream of design, operation and decision making in the realm of modern technologies, which in turn requires a thorough critical evaluation and philosophical enquiry into the design and operation of modern technological artefacts.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us
AU  - Taye Birhanu
Y1  - 2020/09/08
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
T2  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JF  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JO  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
SP  - 94
EP  - 99
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7420
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
AB  - The paper exposes the non-neutrality of modern technologies in general and communication and information technologies in particular by focusing on the biases and discriminations that are built-in or embedded in the designs and operation systems of technological artefacts of now a days. The central argument of this paper is that modern technologies are shaping and controlling our life on daily basis often unknown to us, though they appear neutral objects at first glance. The current controversial status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human thinking is another main theme of the paper in which it is clearly and strongly argued that it is not worth living to delegate the works of our mind to AI or thinking machines, though there is a tendency of co-acting and sharing the most important distinctive feature/character (creative thinking) of human beings among thinking machines and human beings. Here, arises the need for democratizing and transforming the mainstream of design, operation and decision making in the realm of modern technologies, which in turn requires a thorough critical evaluation and philosophical enquiry into the design and operation of modern technological artefacts.
VL  - 8
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Taye Birhanu

Department of Civics and Ethical Studies, Mettu University, Mettu, Ethiopia

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APA Style

Taye Birhanu. (2020). Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 8(5), 94-99. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Taye Birhanu. Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2020, 8(5), 94-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

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AMA Style

Taye Birhanu. Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2020;8(5):94-99. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11,
  author = {Taye Birhanu},
  title = {Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {8},
  number = {5},
  pages = {94-99},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20200805.11},
  abstract = {The paper exposes the non-neutrality of modern technologies in general and communication and information technologies in particular by focusing on the biases and discriminations that are built-in or embedded in the designs and operation systems of technological artefacts of now a days. The central argument of this paper is that modern technologies are shaping and controlling our life on daily basis often unknown to us, though they appear neutral objects at first glance. The current controversial status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human thinking is another main theme of the paper in which it is clearly and strongly argued that it is not worth living to delegate the works of our mind to AI or thinking machines, though there is a tendency of co-acting and sharing the most important distinctive feature/character (creative thinking) of human beings among thinking machines and human beings. Here, arises the need for democratizing and transforming the mainstream of design, operation and decision making in the realm of modern technologies, which in turn requires a thorough critical evaluation and philosophical enquiry into the design and operation of modern technological artefacts.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reconsidering What Technologies Are Doing to Us
AU  - Taye Birhanu
Y1  - 2020/09/08
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
T2  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JF  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JO  - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
SP  - 94
EP  - 99
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7420
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20200805.11
AB  - The paper exposes the non-neutrality of modern technologies in general and communication and information technologies in particular by focusing on the biases and discriminations that are built-in or embedded in the designs and operation systems of technological artefacts of now a days. The central argument of this paper is that modern technologies are shaping and controlling our life on daily basis often unknown to us, though they appear neutral objects at first glance. The current controversial status of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human thinking is another main theme of the paper in which it is clearly and strongly argued that it is not worth living to delegate the works of our mind to AI or thinking machines, though there is a tendency of co-acting and sharing the most important distinctive feature/character (creative thinking) of human beings among thinking machines and human beings. Here, arises the need for democratizing and transforming the mainstream of design, operation and decision making in the realm of modern technologies, which in turn requires a thorough critical evaluation and philosophical enquiry into the design and operation of modern technological artefacts.
VL  - 8
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download