Digital Well-Being.

Catalog description

In the last two decades, our use of information technology has expanded dramatically while changing fundamental aspects of our daily lives. In this course, we will investigate ethical questions that arise due to these changes. We will begin by considering classical 20th century texts on the philosophy of technology, texts that identify ways in which technology can undermine our possibilities for living authentic and fulfilling lives. In the second part of the course, we will focus on new forms of information technology. We will cover ethical questions arising with technological developments such as social media, virtual reality, file sharing, MMORPGs, and artificial intelligence. We will also consider the claim that we are very likely living in a computer simulation. Some general questions that we will consider are as follows: How should we use information technology? How might technology alter our minds? What, if anything, would be an ethical strategy for technological innovation? What would it mean to use technology in a virtuous way? ( GEWE )