Abstract
How are we to appraise new technological developments that may bring revolutionary social changes? Currently this is often done by trying to predict or anticipate social consequences and to use these as a basis for moral and regulatory appraisal. Such an approach can, however, not deal with the uncertainties and unknowns that are inherent in social changes induced by technological development. An alternative approach is proposed that conceives of the introduction of new technologies into society as a social experiment. An ethical framework for the acceptability of such experiments is developed based on the bioethical principles for experiments with human subjects: non-maleficence, beneficence, respect for autonomy, and justice. This provides a handle for the moral and regulatory assessment of new technologies and their impact on society.
Highlights
Rather than trying to apply the informed consent principle to experimental technologies, we look for the underlying moral principle and we see how this can best be specified in the context of experimental technology
I have argued that we can conceive of the introduction of experimental technologies into society as a social experiment
I have asked the question under which conditions such experiments are acceptable and I have developed an ethical framework for deciding so on basis of the four bioethical principles of non-maleficence, beneficence, respect for autonomy, and justice
Summary
What these new technological possibilities have in common is that they may seriously impact society, for the good as well as for the bad. What they have in common is that the exact impacts on society are currently largely unknown and are very hard to predict beforehand. The current moral and regulatory appraisal of such technologies is often either based on what we know and can scientifically prove
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