Parity and the Resolution of Value Conflicts in Design

Area of Science:

• * Responsible innovation and technology ethics.
• * Value Sensitive Design (VSD) and its theoretical underpinnings.
• * Axiology and the philosophical study of value.

Background:

• * Responsible innovation theories emphasize integrating values into technological design.
• * Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is a prominent framework for value-based design.
• * A key limitation of VSD is its difficulty in resolving inevitable value conflicts.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To examine existing methods for resolving value conflicts in Value Sensitive Design (VSD).
• * To identify the limitations of current VSD approaches in handling value incommensurability.
• * To propose an enhancement to VSD using the axiological concept of 'parity' to address value conflicts.

Main Methods:

• * Critical analysis of three existing methods for resolving value conflicts within VSD.
• * Review of literature in axiology to understand the nature of value incommensurability.
• * Theoretical integration of the axiological concept of 'parity' into the VSD framework.

Main Results:

• * Current VSD methods inadequately address value conflicts arising from incommensurability.
• * Value incommensurability represents a significant challenge for rational decision-making in design.
• * The concept of 'parity' offers a novel way to understand and manage conflicting values in design.

Conclusions:

• * Existing VSD conflict resolution methods are insufficient due to overlooking value incommensurability.
• * Incorporating 'parity' from axiology can significantly improve VSD's ability to handle value conflicts.
• * This enhanced VSD framework can guide designers toward more rational decisions when faced with incommensurable values.