Abstract
Digitalization affects the relation between human agents and technological objects. This paper looks at digital behavior change technologies (BCT) from a deontological perspective. It identifies three moral requirements that are relevant for ethical approaches in the tradition of Kantian deontology: epistemic rationalism, motivational rationalism and deliberational rationalism. It argues that traditional Kantian ethics assumes human ‘subjects’ to be autonomous agents, whereas ‘objects’ are mere passive tools. Digitalization, however, challenges this Cartesian subject-object dualism: digital technologies become more and more autonomous and take on agency. Similarly, human subjects can outsource agency and will-power to technologies. In addition, our intersubjective relations are being more and more shaped by digital technologies. The paper therefore re-examines the three categories ‘subject’, ‘object’ and ‘intersubjectivity’ in light of digital BCTs and suggests deontological guidelines for digital objects, digital subjects and a digitally mediated intersubjectivity, based on a re-examination of the requirements of epistemic, motivational and deliberational rationalism.
Highlights
Digitalization is affecting almost all domains of our lives [1]
The focus of the paper will be on very specific ways in which digitalization affects human decision making or human autonomy, in a way that will in turn impact human behavior
The aim of the paper is conditional: if we were to approach the phenomena of digitalization, how can we evaluate important trends within digitalization from a deontological perspective? What guidelines can deontology suggest for the design and usage of digital behavior change technologies?
Summary
Digitalization is affecting almost all domains of our lives [1]. One aspect of our lives, which is affected by digitalization is human decision making. Philosophers have worried that these nudging technologies undermine human autonomy [2,3,4] This worry is prominent with regard to deontological approach to ethics of technologies [5]. The focus of the paper will be on very specific ways in which digitalization affects human decision making or human autonomy, in a way that will in turn impact human behavior. The paper starts by identifying the relevant aspects of a deontological ethics and the underlying interpretation of human agents, technical objects and societal interactions (Section 2), before going on to show, how these traditional conceptualizations are being challenged by digitalization—and how a deontological framework can respond to these challenges (Section 3)
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