The Risk of Ethicalisation in Ethical Engagement with Quantum Technologies: Some Brief Considerations

‘Quantum for good’ is slowly beginning to emerge as an ambition for quantum technology development. As the ambition begins to percolate down through policy and scientific communities, questions as to what ‘quantum for good’ means and how it might be operationalised will arise. Fora for discussion will spring up and, at the individual level, actors will be faced with how to respond to the call for ‘quantum for good’. What might ‘quantum for good’ mean in practice, how can ‘good’ be defined, by whom, etc.? ELSA communities are likely to be involved in these discussions. This contribution warns ELSA scholars of the risks of ‘ethicalisation’ in pondering these questions with respect to two issues: 1) the nature and framing of ethical discussion in new and emerging science and technologies; and 2) reliance on ethics and ethical expertise. Ethicalisation can lead to a hollowing out of ethical concerns through a downplaying of interests, stakes, and, ultimately, politics. The article offers some suggestions for a ‘re-politicisation’ of ethics within the context of engagement with quantum technology.