Where to Political Philosophy of Technology?

Technological challenges have recently created a need to more sharply distinguish ethics from political philosophy of technology. Are there compelling arguments that warrant pursuing a political philosophy of technology as an autonomous endeavor aside from an ethics of technology and what would its content be? The present paper responds to those two questions. Via a critical discussion of three existing views on this relationship, I will argue that the best starting point for a political philosophy of technology originates from the prevalence and intractability of reasonable disagreement. I will extend this general suggestion, forcefully defended by Charles Larmore, with the condition that such reasonable disagreement needs resolution in some situations, due to urgency and the suboptimal outcomes that ensue if no decision is reached. Many current technological challenges have those characteristics. In my conclusions, I will briefly outline how investigations of technological utopias could contribute to discussions about reasonable disagreement, thereby, opening a fruitful avenue for future research in political philosophy of technology.

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Publication Details

Journal
NanoEthics
Published
2025-12-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11569-025-00488-7
Primary Topic
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Where to Political Philosophy of Technology?

Martin Sand
NanoEthics
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
article

Where to Political Philosophy of Technology?

Martin Sand
article en

Abstract

Technological challenges have recently created a need to more sharply distinguish ethics from political philosophy of technology. Are there compelling arguments that warrant pursuing a political philosophy of technology as an autonomous endeavor aside from an ethics of technology and what would its content be? The present paper responds to those two questions. Via a critical discussion of three existing views on this relationship, I will argue that the best starting point for a political philosophy of technology originates from the prevalence and intractability of reasonable disagreement. I will extend this general suggestion, forcefully defended by Charles Larmore, with the condition that such reasonable disagreement needs resolution in some situations, due to urgency and the suboptimal outcomes that ensue if no decision is reached. Many current technological challenges have those characteristics. In my conclusions, I will briefly outline how investigations of technological utopias could contribute to discussions about reasonable disagreement, thereby, opening a fruitful avenue for future research in political philosophy of technology.

NanoEthicsVol. 20(1)
Delft University of Technology (NL)
Openalex Percentile: Top 61%
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
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Where to Political Philosophy of Technology? — Martin Sand · NanoEthics (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS