Why tech-savvy societies need moral reasoning
Today’s citizens are better than any generation, but a society needs more than knowledge – it needs wisdom. Paul Budde Reports.
I like to discover the intersection of technology, economy and international relations through a philosophical lens, as the regular readers of my articles know.
I am currently following the course Passion and Mind Philosophy: Hume to Martha Nussbaum By DR Kerry Sanders – Someone I refer to in previous pieces. The debate of this week focused on the role of emotions and passions in shaping rational frameworks and social decisions. He triggered the reflections I touched how these philosophical ideas were related to our way of approaching technology, education and moral reasoning in today’s world.
In today’s hyper -linked world, we are proud to be educated and technologically developed. We built economies on innovation and filled our classes COKE Priorities and universities turned into pipelines to be ready for labor force. But this is a deficit that grows behind the progress front: not knowledge, but wisdom.
What kind of society are we actually building? This is a question that we are no longer trained to ask – or not encouraged. We neglected the disciplines that helped us question the moral foundations of power, reserve and technology to produce ready -made graduates. We have given priority to productivity and ethical skills on philosophy.
Instrumentalization of Education
Modern education in the West has become closely dependent on economic performance. The implicit target is no longer to create a citizen, but to educate workers-high-wage ones. Success is measured by income ranking, not by the contribution of the person to justice, democracy or community welfare.
The dangers of economic monocultures and increased fragility Our global systems. But most of this fragility stems from this basic subject: we build systems with tremendous power, but we train people to optimize them, not to question. As long as we have primary metrics, educational institutions will continue to reflect these values at the expense of public morality.
Moral gap in our technological age
This failure is particularly evident about how we deal with technology. Algorithms Determine what we see, what we believe in, and sometimes what governments give priority. AI progresses faster than editing. Social media disrupts emotional discourse when making profits from polarization. Nevertheless, the design and distribution of these systems remains greatly undisputed from moral examination.
We are constantly told that innovation is good for us – faster, smarter, more convenient. But for what purpose? Without a strong ethical framework, technology becomes a tool for exploitation as well as for progress. As I discussed in a previous article about the Central Bank digital currencies (CBDCS) and if we do not place values such as digital sovereignty, equality, transparency and human dignity from the very beginning, we will face the risk of reproduction and strengthening existing injustices at digital speed.
Peter Singer what does he teach us
These are not only technical risks, but moral risks. They demand that the Australian philosopher should be a kind of ethical reasoning Peter singer He spent dozens of years to defend.
Singer work It reminds us that no responsible information is not progress and education should prepare us not only to innovate, but also to prepare for care.
His utilitarian The frame, which aims to maximize prosperity and reduce damage, offers a rational but deep moral basis for making decisions in a more complex world. Thanks to its work on effective sacrifice, it shows how emotion and mind can be aligned: our care impulse becomes globally effective and becomes the basis of informed action.
In an age where emotion (through populism) and (through technocracy) is usually manipulated, the singer us moral clarity not to choose one to another, but to direct both to ethical results.
Singer Call Ethical education is particularly important. He has controversial Not only for students to choose a career, but also to think about how their knowledge and choices affect others – especially the vulnerable. This morality is very lacking in today’s economic and technological discourse.
Not only work, but wisdom education
If we want to avoid a future in which the real change comes only through collapse or disaster – as often throughout history – we have to change how we do education. This means:
- Ethics, philosophy and emotional intelligence to place the mainstream education, not to treat them as “idealists”;
- Education for technology experts, economists, scientists and leaders to think beyond profit, productivity or growth; And
- To encourage public discourse that honors compassion and curiosity instead of anger and cynicism.
We often say that today’s citizens are better trained More than any generation before. But what’s better trained about? Even if human sciences need ethical and critical thinking, moral reasoning in the face of artificial intelligence, climate change and geopolitical instability have never been so great.
One last thought
Without empathy, the cause leads to cold calculation. Emotion without reason leads to manipulation. A fair society needs both. Nevertheless, most of our institutions – especially education – train people to serve systems instead of reflecting them.
Until this dynamics change, we can stay as a philosopher. David Hume it could be to put He, passion creatures managed We no longer understand the systems.
If we want to avoid a crisis -guided transformation other than a century, we must educate not only for knowledge, but also for wisdom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn2dt9LRKO4
Paul Budde is an independent telecommunications research and consultancy manager and general manager Paul Budde Consulting. You can follow Paul on Twitter/X @Paulbudde.
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