Modern Technology, Preventive Ethics, and the Human Condition:

[Abstract]

Modern technology brought us not to the end but to the edge of our fate and unless we have a good vision about where we are going, then we will neither be able to save ourselves nor our future generations. In this paper, I argue that technology is increasingly intruding into our philosophical questions about the very meaning of life and mortality. Technology is intervening into our conceptual scheme by redefining concepts such as happiness, intelligence, beauty, life, and death. For example, death, is no longer a part of nature itself instead it belongs to technological advancements of tools and equipments; with technology death can be delayed (with the dream to be avoided). If this occurred then we will be similar to Tithonus in Greek mythology as will be discussed in this paper.

I bring attention here that we should not adapt any ‘techno-pessimist” approach against technology such as that of Kaczynski, nor that of the “techno-optimist” of Kurzweil. I argue, that both are -to some extent- unrealistic. This paper carefully analyzes the ethics of responsibility approach that is presented by Hans Jonas, who thinks that traditional ethics is no longer sufficient for modern technology. I end this paper by offering a supportive approach to the ethics of responsibility, which I call preventive ethics in order to guide technology to the right path.

Keywords: Ethics, Technology, Bhilosophy.