Science and Technology Ethics

The world has undergone a radical transformation during the past 200 years. The Industrial Revolution, the development of mass production techniques and recently the plethora of technological advancements in medicine, engineering, computation, communication and entertainment products have drastically changed the ways in which we live, our expectations of the future, and our moral landscapes. Science and Technology Ethics re-examines the ethics by which we live and asks whether we have in place the ethical guidelines through which we can incorporate scientific and technological developments with the minimum of disruption and disaffection. Bringing together a range of expertise, this book assesses the ethical systems already in existence and proposes new approaches to our scientific and engineering processes. It considers the social contracts in practice, the developments in biology and informatics and how these can influence our ethics, the role that the military industry can play, and our environmental responsibilities.

Science and Technology Ethics is a much-needed discussion of the scientific developments that have major effects on the way we live. It will be of interest to all students of science and technology and all professionals involved with administrating laws in these fields.

Raymond E. Spier is Professor of Science and Engineering Ethics at the University of Surrey.