Technics Deontology - Essay Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Ethical issue in technology Introduction New technologies mostly is witnessed by an episode of initial euphoria and excitement which is followed by an episode whereby advice restraint on the basis of antidotal evidence. Eventually there is time where guidelines and rules are proposed and debated and some sort of consensus realized. Public debate on ethical consequences of technologies is vital part of the process of adaptation and social change. The manner in which successfully ethical guidelines are advanced and social consensus arrived at will affect social solidarity and cohesion. One of the greatest ethical concerns, which turn out to be legal issue, is the appropriate application of technology. As technology advancement moves on, old age ethical enquiries are precipitated and dragged into the public discussion realm (Shrader-Frechette, 2003). The discovery of stem cell development, for instance, elicited many legal and ethical implications for politicians and scientists in favor of it. Cloning technology raised similar concerns in relation to definition of ethical and human ethical obligations of biological sciences. Advances in technology for biological weapons have raised concerns of possible genocide and misuse of weapons during war. Some applications of technological innovation possess the ability of having many more victims. The use of nuclear technology is one of these concerns. A possible nuclear war threatens to wipe out human generation. Nuclear weapons have both potential of tremendous harm and helpful uses. Creation of energy through nuclear fusion is good but when the nuclear weapons are in the hands of rogue states human security is threatens. Some of these states threaten to engage in war at the slightest provocation. North Korea and Iran have been suspected for developing nuclear weapons that can be devastating to human lives if used. North Korea has gone ahead to taste nuclear weapons and threatens to use them if provoked. The world security is at risk following the development of nuclear technology (Van de Poel & Royakkers, 2011). Nuclear developments which have the capacity of killing masses of people are vehemently opposed by environmental agencies and lobby groups. The use of atomic power should have enough safeguards to prevent environment contamination and the people within the area. The recent incident of Fukushima Daiichi in Japan has elicited more debate on nuclear technology. Many people had to be evacuated to avoid a major disaster. Nuclear accidents that have occurred over the years show just how dangerous nuclear technology can be to the safety of human beings. Nuclear waste has been established to be devastating to human environment. Despite the many uses of nuclear technology like energy production, the side effects are scaring and menacingly threatening the entire existence of human generation. Nuclear technology has to be used sparingly and there should be intense supervisions on the use of nuclear technology and disposal of waste material. Human safety and environment can be in great danger of nuclear technology is not applied wisely. The threat it poses to many innocent people is enough to question the rapid application of nuclear technology (Martin & Schinzinger, 2004). Controversial debates have taken place amongst the world’s superpowers on the use of nuclear technology. Developing countries have incessantly accused industrialized countries of global warming and other environmental damages that have resulted in climatic change. United States and Israel have incessantly warned Iran against developing nuclear weapons with an objective of strengthening its military power. Israel has all along suspected Iran of developing nuclear weapons with the aim of attacking it. Biotechnology is a two-edged-sword euphemistically coined. Many moral and ethical issues have been raised concerning biotechnology. Vitro fertilization has raised a lot of controversy. Stem cell development has caused some religious controversies as people oppose the attempt by man to play God as some Christians strongly believe. However, some childless women have been helped to have children of their own. Genetically modified organisms enhance production and therefore increase food security. Improved food security is not the only aspect that comes with biotechnology (Pechan & Gert, 2005). There is adequate research to substantiate the claim that genetically modified foods have the potential of harming the health of human beings. Concerns on genetic modification regard possible unknown effects on human environment and health. Allergies have been witnessed following the consumption of foods that are genetically modified. A study conducted in 1998 showed that soybean allergy was induced in people who had ingested transgenic soybeans that had been produced as animal feeds. Other side effects that are unconfirmed can be attributed to genetically modified substances that are ingested by man. Bt Corn has raised some concerns (Martin & Schinzinger, 2004). Whereas modification makes the corn toxic to caterpillars, the pollen grains from the modified plants have been established to be fatal to the monarch modified. Genetic modifications enhance the activity of a gene that is responsible for critical amino acids, but the subsequent shift in the plant metabolism cause changes in the levels of phytoestrogens. Human safety is compromised by the application of GMOs in agriculture. The viability of genetically modified substances still raises ethical issues that need to be discussed further. Cloning has raised similar ethical considerations. The wide spread of the internet has caused moral issues that need to be addressed. Underage children are able to access pornographic material and relate with strangers who may turn out to be child molesters. The safety of children has been threatened as parents grapple with the reality of the influence of media in the development of a child. Increased media exposure to children causes changes in behavior especially where violence is involved. Research has indicated that exposure to violence in media leads to aggressive and behavioral change in children. The internet has been an avenue of many cyber crimes and scams that have seen unsuspecting victims swindled of their hard-earned cash (Martin & Schinzinger, 2004). Personal privacy is also affected by the development of technology. The pervasive nature of the internet in the daily lives of people is a hot-button issue. Majority of websites collect user data from passwords and usernames to personal information like phone numbers and home addresses. The sale of such information is mostly regarded as unethical, but it usually a legal grey area since the person voluntarily provides the information. Personal security has been jeopardized through this means (Shrader-Frechette, 2003). Application of Internet monitoring technology in the workplace and in school has raised concerns regarding where to draw the line between Public resource use and personal Internet use. The technology use by some governments to infringe on the privacy rights of citizens is controversial ethical and legal issue that is still being debated in many countries’ legal systems. Conclusion Advances in new technology come with euphoria and excitement that takes time before people realize the full meaning of the resultant outcome. Many ethical issues have been raised concerning technology development. GMOs and other genetically engineered organisms have been established to have the potential of causing harm to the health of human beings. The controversial issue of vitro fertilization has left many people divided on the role of man in the tube cell development. Many religious functions have opposed this move and liked it to an attempt of many to play God. Many biotechnologies have been found to cause some point of discomfort due to the harmful effects that they possess. The urgency in nuclear power development was meant to solve energy problems but the possible harm of nuclear accidents has raised many concerns in regard safety of human beings. Many countries are jostling for power in regard to nuclear weapon development. The possibility of a nuclear war is enough reason to cause panic and restlessness. Privacy and child influence with the spread in internet makes any parents to have sleepless nights. Technology has made the life of many easier and efficient but it’s possible harm has to be curbed before it blossom into a disaster. Work cited Martin, M.W., and Schinzinger, R., Ethics in Engineering, (4th edition), McGraw-Hill: Melbourne, 2004. Shrader-Frechette, Kristin, “Technology and Ethics," in Philosophy of Technology: The Technological Condition, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing., 2003. Van de Poel, I., and L. Royakkers, Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.  Pechan, Paul, and Gert E. de vries, Genes on the Menu: Facts for Knowledge-Based Decisions. Munich, Germany: Springer-Verlag, 2005. Read More