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Il futuro della tecnologia. Progettazione etica e innovazionetab edizioni. forthcoming.Il volume approfondisce le intricate narrazioni che danno forma alla nostra comprensione della tecnologia, dai punti di vista strumentali al costruttivismo sociale, sostenendo l'interazionismo come l’interpretazione più promettente. Man mano che l’umanità intreccia nodi sempre più stretti con la tecnologia, la comprensione e l'attuazione di questi principi diventa non solo vantaggiosa ma addirittura essenziale. Ecco allora che l’articolazione del libro, dimostrata attraverso esempi e narrazioni …Read more
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61Review of Distributed Like Bread – Jonathan M. Ciraulo (review)Homiletic and Pastoral Review. 2024.In Distributed Like Bread: Hans Urs von Balthasar Speaks to Seminarians, Jonathan Ciraulo engages with the theological insights of Hans Urs von Balthasar, especially as they pertain to the priesthood and seminary formation. This work not only introduces readers to Balthasar's complex and nuanced understanding of the priestly vocation but also serves as a guide for those discerning or living out this calling. Through a detailed examination of Balthasar’s life and writings, Ciraulo uncovers the pr…Read more
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19Ethics of Quantum Technologies: A Scoping ReviewInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 37 (2): 179-205. 2023.The rapid development of quantum technologies, such as quantum computing, quantum internet, and quantum sensing, has led to a growing awareness of the ethical issues surrounding these technologies. This literature review aims to analyze the existing research on these ethical issues using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) literature review approach. The literature search was conducted using the following databases: Scopus ArXiv, and IEEE Xplore, and t…Read more
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The ethics of space travelling and extraterrestrial colonization What is moral in space is also moral on earthRagion Pratica 62 (1/2024): 155-170. 2024.Mirko Garasic (2021) argued that space travel and, by extension, the colonization of other planets could morally justify using technologies and interventions capable of profoundly modifying the characteristics of astronauts and future Martian generations. According to Garasic, however, the fact that space interventions such as human (bio)enhancement or reproductive technologies such as artificial wombs may be morally justified does not mean that they are morally acceptable technologies to be use…Read more
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2EditorialJournal of Responsible Technology (2024): 100083. 2024.Those who appeal to humanism today defend a central role for human beings over increasingly alienating technical apparatuses and thus preserve values and ideals that are undermined by the growing role of machines and the marked autonomy that technical objects are acquiring. Simondon had already grasped this aspect when he argued that each era recreates its own humanism in response to the alienating elements that characterise it (Simondon, 2017, 118–121). Even if he does not highlight it, this wa…Read more
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89Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance and the Threat of AuthoritarianismIn Harald Pechlaner, Michael de Rachewiltz, Maximilian Walder & Elisa Innerhofer (eds.), Shaping the Future: Sustainability and Technology at the Crossroads of Arts and Science, Graffeg. pp. 77-81. 2024.Worsening energy crises and the growing effects of climate change have spurred, among other things, concerted efforts to tackle global problems through what the United Nations calls Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are in turn argued to be best achieved via the adoption of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) as the vehicle for guiding our efforts. However, though these things are often presented as the solution to global issues, they are increasingly being used as a …Read more
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15Digital humanism as a bottom-up ethicsJournal of Responsible Technology 18 (June): 100082. 2024.In this paper, we explore a new perspective on digital humanism, emphasizing the centrality of multi-stakeholder dialogues and a bottom-up approach to surfacing stakeholder values. This approach starkly contrasts with existing frameworks, such as the Vienna Manifesto's top-down digital humanism, which hinges on pre-established first principles. Our approach provides a more flexible, inclusive framework that captures a broader spectrum of ethical considerations, particularly those pertinent to th…Read more
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15The Biopolitics of Human Enhancement (edited book)De Gruyter. 2024.The study of the social implications of human enhancement is an interdisciplinary work that draws from the fields of political science, sociology, philosophy, and bioethics, among others. It is also a complex and rapidly evolving subject that raises important questions about the potential benefits and risks of these technologies, as well as how society should govern and regulate their development and use. An in-depth exploration of current and future human enhancement technologies,this book delv…Read more
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220Quantum Technologies in Industry 4.0: Navigating the Ethical Frontier with Value-Sensitive DesignProcedia Computer Science 232 1654-1662. 2024.With the emergence of quantum technologies such as quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing, new potential has emerged for smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. These technologies, however, present ethical concerns that must be addressed in order to ensure they are developed and used responsibly. This article outlines some of the ethical challenges that quantum technologies may raise for Industry 4.0 and presents the value sensitive design methodology as a strategy for ethi…Read more
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Communities of Quantum Technologies: Stakeholder Identification, Legitimation, and InteractionInternational Journal of Quantum Information. forthcoming.This paper focuses on stakeholder identification as per the value sensitive design (VSD) approach applied to the context of quantum technologies (QT). We provide two comprehensive lists of stakeholders as starting points for VSD researchers and practitioners. These lists encompass a diverse range of organizations, including private companies, government agencies, NGOs, partnerships, and professional/trade organizations. Our aim is to facilitate the recognition, legitimation, and understanding of…Read more
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88Dalla Soggettività all’Oggettività: La Filosofia di Bernard Lonergan come Fondamento per il Design Sensibile ai ValoriArchivio Teologico Torinese 1 (2024): 161-171. 2024.This article explores the potential of Bernard Lonergan’s philosophy of subjectivity as objectivity as a grounding for value sensitive design (VSD) and the design turn in applied ethics. The rapid pace of scientific and technological advancement has created a gap between technical abilities and our moral assessments of those abilities, calling for a reflection on the philosophical tools we have for applying ethics. In particular, applied ethics often presents interconnected problems that require…Read more
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90Technologies cannot simply be understood as neutral tools or instruments; they embody the values of their creators and may unconsciously reinforce systematic patterns of inequality, discrimination, and oppression. Technology Ethics shows how responsible innovation can be achieved. Demonstrating how design and philosophy converge, the book delves into the intricate narratives that shape our understanding of technology – from instrumentalist views to social constructivism. Yet, at its core, it cha…Read more
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409Artificial intelligence (AI) profoundly influences a number of societal structures today, including religious dynamics. Using Bernard Lonergan’s critical realism as a lens, this article investigates the intersections of AI and religious traditions in their shared pursuit of the common good. Beginning with Lonergan’s principle that humans construct their understanding through cognitive processes, we examine how AI-mediated realities align with or challenge traditional religious tenets. By delving…Read more
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35Humans versus Robots in Space Exploration and Colonization: A Contextualized ApproachInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 37 (1): 47-63. 2023.In his article, “Should Space Travel be Human or Robotic? Reasons for and against full automation for space missions,” Maurizio Balistreri explores the ongoing debate regarding whether space travel, exploration, and extra-terrestrial colonization should be the domain of humans or robots. Balistreri explores both technical and normative arguments for why extraterrestrial ventures ought to be wholly robotic or human, ultimately taking no explicit side in the debate. However, in this article we arg…Read more
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260Star Trek’s Stoics: The VulcansPhilosophy Now 106 29. 2015.In 1966 Gene Roddenberry, then a relatively unknown TV writer, created what was to become a cultural sensation. From cell phones and tablets, to MRI machines and medical jet injectors, Star Trek has undoubtedly anticipated much of the technology that we take for granted today. Moreover, the disagreements, fights and jokes between Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Dr Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Mr Spock (Leonard Nimoy) were expertly crafted for dramatic impact. But I’m not writing t…Read more
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482The Future of Value Sensitive DesignParadigm Shifts in ICT Ethics: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference ETHICOMP 2020. 2020.In this panel, we explore the future of value sensitive design (VSD). The stakes are high. Many in public and private sectors and in civil society are gradually realizing that taking our values seriously implies that we have to ensure that values effectively inform the design of technology which, in turn, shapes people’s lives. Value sensitive design offers a highly developed set of theory, tools, and methods to systematically do so.
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183From Subjectivity to Objectivity: Bernard Lonergan's Philosophy as a Grounding for Value Sensitive DesignScienza E Filosofia 29 36-44. 2023.This article explores the potential of Bernard Lonergan’s philosophy of subjectivity as objectivity as a grounding for value sensitive design (VSD) and the design turn in applied ethics. The rapid pace of scientific and technological advancement has created a gap between technical abilities and our moral assessments of those abilities, calling for a reflection on the philosophical tools we have for applying ethics. In particular, applied ethics often presents interconnected problems that require…Read more
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272From speculation to reality: enhancing anticipatory ethics for emerging technologies (ATE) in practiceTechnology in Society 74 1-11. 2023.Various approaches have emerged over the last several decades to meet the challenges and complexities of anticipating and responding to the potential impacts of emerging technologies. Although many of the existing approaches share similarities, they each have shortfalls. This paper takes as the object of its study Anticipatory Ethics for Emerging Technologies (ATE) to technology assessment, given that it was formatted to address many of the privations characterising parallel approaches. The ATE …Read more
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171Miglioramento e Potenziamento degli Operatori Sanitari attraverso la ProgettazioneNeu 42 (2): 53-59. 2023.Gran parte della letteratura riguardante l’uso dell’intelligenza artificiale (IA) sul posto di lavoro, in particolare nell’ambito dell’assistenza infermieristica e dei servizi di cura, si è concentrata sui problemi etici che insorgono a valle della sua implementazione o per ragioni puramente speculative. Concentrarsi sull’IA come artefatto separato dal suo design e dai suoi progettisti rende l’assistenza infermieristica e la cura, come qualsiasi altro settore, in gran parte impotente nei confron…Read more
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4Agile as a Vehicle for Values: A Value Sensitive Design ToolkitIn Albrecht Fritzsche & Andrés Santa-María (eds.), Rethinking Technology and Engineering: Dialogues Across Disciplines and Geographies, Springer Verlag. pp. 169-181. 2023.The ethics of technology has primarily focused on what values are and how they can be embedded in technologies through design. In this context, some work has been done to show the efficacy of several design approaches. However, existing studies have not clearly pointed out the ways which design team managers can use design-for-values approaches to organise and use technologies in practice properly. This chapter attempts to fill this gap by discussing the value sensitive design (VSD) approach as …Read more
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92Sociotechnical Infrastructures of Dominion in Stefan L. Sorgner’s We Have Always Been CyborgsEtica & Politica / Ethics & Politics 25 (1): 336-351. 2023.In We Have Always Been Cyborgs (2021), Stefan L. Sorgner argues that, given the growing economic burden of desirable welfare programs, in order for Western democratic societies to continue to flourish it will be necessary that they establish some form of algocracy (i.e., governance by algorithm). This is argued to be necessary both in order to maintain the sustainability and efficiency of these programs, but also due to the fact that further integration of humans into technical systems provides …Read more
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365Modifying the Environment or Human Nature? What is the Right Choice for Space Travel and Mars Colonisation?NanoEthics 17 (1): 1-13. 2023.As space travel and intentions to colonise other planets are becoming the norm in public debate and scholarship, we must also confront the technical and survival challenges that emerge from these hostile environments. This paper aims to evaluate the various arguments proposed to meet the challenges of human space travel and extraterrestrial planetary colonisation. In particular, two primary solutions have been present in the literature as the most straightforward solutions to the rigours of extr…Read more
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5Emotions and Automation in a High-Tech Workplace: a CommentaryPhilosophy and Technology 36 (1): 1-5. 2023.In a recent article, Madelaine Ley evaluates the future of work, specifically robotised workplaces, via the lens of care ethics. Like many proponents of care ethics, Ley draws on the approach and its emphasis on relationality to understand ethical action necessary for worker wellbeing. Her paper aims to fill a research gap by shifting away from the traditional contexts in which care ethics is employed, i.e., health and care contexts and instead appropriates the approach to tackle the sociotechni…Read more
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169Oggetti buoni: Per una tecnologia sensibile ai valoriFandango. 2023.Non possiamo immaginare un mondo senza le nostre tecnologie e i nostri strumenti. In molti modi, le nostre tecnologie sono ciò che ci definisce come esseri umani, separandoci dal resto del regno animale. Tuttavia, pensare alle nostre tecnologie come semplici strumenti, strumenti che possono essere usati nel bene o nel male, ci rende vulnerabili agli effetti sistemici e duraturi che le tecnologie hanno sulla nostra società, sui comportamenti, e sulle generazioni future. Oggetti Buoni esplora come…Read more
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147Emotions and Automation in a High‑Tech Workplace: a CommentaryPhilosophy and Technology 36 12. 2023.In a recent article, Madelaine Ley evaluates the future of work, specifically robotised workplaces, via the lens of care ethics. Like many proponents of care ethics, Ley draws on the approach and its emphasis on relationality to understand ethical action necessary for worker wellbeing. Her paper aims to fill a research gap by shifting away from the traditional contexts in which care ethics is employed, i.e., health and care contexts and instead appropriates the approach to tackle the sociotechni…Read more
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287Democratization of quantum technologiesQuantum Science and Technology 8 024005. 2023.As quantum technologies (QT) advance, their potential impact on and relation with society has been developing into an important issue for exploration. In this paper, we investigate the topic of democratization in the context of QT, particularly quantum computing. The paper contains three main sections. First, we briefly introduce different theories of democracy (participatory, representative, and deliberative) and how the concept of democratization can be formulated with respect to whether democ…Read more
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230Sustainable Climate Engineering Innovation and the Need for AccountabilityIn Henrik Skaug Sætra (ed.), Technology and Sustainable Development: The Promise and Pitfalls of Techno-Solutionism, Routledge. pp. 1-21. 2023.Although still highly controversial, the idea that we can use technology to radically alter our environment in order to mitigate the climate challenges we now face is becoming an ever more discussed approach. This chapter takes up a specific climate engineering technology, carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS), and highlights how this technology works and how its governance still needs further work to ensure that it is aligned to the ideal of sustainable development. Given that climate engin…Read more
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558Human Enhancement and Reproductive Ethics on Generation ShipsArgumenta 1-15. forthcoming.The past few years has seen a resurgence in the public interest in space flight and travel. Spurred mainly by the likes of technology billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the topic poses both unique scientific as well as ethical challenges. This paper looks at the concept of generation ships, conceptual behemoth ships whose goal is to bring a group of human settlers to distant exoplanets. These ships are designed to host multiple generations of people who will be born, live, and die on th…Read more
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376Designing Genetic Engineering Technologies For Human ValuesEtica E Politica (2): 481-510. 2022.Genetic engineering technologies are a subclass of the biotechnology family, and are concerned with the use of laboratory-based technologies to intervene with a given organism at the genetic level, i.e., the level of its DNA. This class of technologies could feasibly be used to treat diseases and disabilities, create disease-resistant crops, or even be used to enhance humans to make them more resistant to certain environmental conditions. However, both therapeutic and enhancement applications of…Read more
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265Values for a Post-Pandemic FutureIn Matthew J. Dennis, Georgy Ishmaev, Steven Umbrello & Jeroen van den Hoven (eds.), Values for a Post-Pandemic Future, Springer. pp. 1-19. 2022.The costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are yet to be calculated, but they include the loss of millions of lives and the destruction of countless livelihoods. What is certain is that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has changed the way we live for the foreseeable future. It has forced many to live in ways they would have previously thought impossible. As well as challenging scientists and medical professionals to address urgent value conflicts in the short term, COVID-19 has raised slower-burning value questions…Read more
Steven Umbrello
Università di Torino
Institute For Ethics And Emerging Technology
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Institute For Ethics And Emerging TechnologyAdministrator
Turin, Piedmont, Italy
Areas of Specialization
Applied Ethics |
Technology Ethics |
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
Technology Ethics |