Technology and the Situationist Challenge to Virtue Ethics

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Technology
• Ethics of Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Emerging technologies present complex challenges to human well-being.
• Current conceptions of well-being may not adequately account for technological influences.
• The 'situationist challenge' questions the stability of character traits in response to environmental factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a 'promises and perils' framework for analyzing the soft impacts of emerging technology.
• Advocate for a eudaimonic (flourishing-based) conception of well-being.
• Reconcile eudaimonic well-being with the situationist challenge by integrating environmental influences.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and philosophical argumentation.
• Development of a 'promises and perils' framework.
• Integration of situational influences into theories of human flourishing.

Main Results:

• A framework for understanding the nuanced impacts of technology on well-being.
• A defense of eudaimonic well-being that incorporates situational susceptibility.
• Identification of contextual factors crucial for designing technology that promotes flourishing.

Conclusions:

• Technological and social environments significantly influence human well-being and self-awareness.
• A robust theory of human flourishing must account for these contextual features.
• Designing systems with careful attention to situational factors can foster human flourishing.