The End of Ethics in a Technological Society

By: Lawrence E. Schmidt and Scott Marratto

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Synopsis: Lawrence Schmidt and Scott Marratto challenge modern liberal ethics, arguing that there is no consistent ethical framework to deal with the long-range negative consequences of certain technological developments They examine established ethical approaches to such urgent contemporary concerns as environmental degradation, nuclear energy, high tech militarism, and fetal genetic testing, showing that the prevailing viewpoint valorizes autonomy above all other goods and considers technological advances as mere extensions of the range of human freedoms. Modern ethics thus fails to take into account the moral intuition that some possibilities in the realm of techno science simply ought not to be pursued. A comprehensive assessment of modern western society's commitment to technological progress, The End of Ethics in a Technological Society presents a convincing argument in favour of a post-liberal approach - one that rejects the ideology of progress, supports caution, and accepts limitation."