Ethical Frameworks and Process of Technology Assessment
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 117, Issue 2
Abstract
Historically, technology has improved the human condition, and it remains a major hope for further improvement worldwide. Yet its consequences have not all been positive. Environmental and social costs have accrued; many of these were unanticipated at the time the technology was introduced. Three ethical frameworks are examined for what they suggest about the process by which decisions on new technologies are made. A case study, focused on a water‐development project, is used to provide specificity. The impacts of alternative approaches for supplying water to Denver, Colorado, are examined in the context of deontological (duty‐based), teleological (utilitarianism), and mixed deontological (utilitarianism with attention to our duty not to harm) ethical frameworks. Results suggest that these frameworks can provide assistance in deciding among alternatives. But, more importantly, the frameworks, taken together, suggest 10 components of a process that could lead to better decisions. Some of these components are already part of the environmental impact statement process; more are part of the technology assessment process. But, others have not yet been incorporated in societal controls of technology.
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References
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Frankena, W. K. (1973). Ethics, Prentice‐Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
2.
Kant, I. (1959). Foundations of the metaphysics of morals. translated by L. W. Beck, MacMillan Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.
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Sporhase v. Nebraska. (1982). 458 DU.S. 941, 1 02 S.Ct. 3456.
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“Report on the Water and Water Rights Transfer Study.” (1988) Review Draft of July 1988, Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, Water Management Board, Lincoln, Neb.
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Copyright © 1991 ASCE.
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Published online: Apr 1, 1991
Published in print: Apr 1991
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