Assignment #1The following assignment applies to the material in three of the readings in the

courseware.

Solomon describes the ethical dilemma of medical intervention on premature babies

a) Suppose that a group of neonatologists, in response to this dilemma, were to form an organization called “Neonatologists for Social Responsibility”. Why would Chapman agree or disagree that this issue is an appropriate one for such an organization?

b) Discuss this organization in terms of micro and macro ethics described in class

c) How might the ideas of DiNorcia be applied in the formation of ethical guidelines for physicians surrounding this issue?

Length: Between 500 and 750 words (include a word count) Due: Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 at the start of class

Government and Technology

– McGinn:

• Strengths and Weaknesses of Government Control

– John Street:

• Effect of Political Structure on Government Control

– Limits of Political Control

• NIMBY

• Time Horizons of Technology Policy

• Transnational Technologies

McGinn: Mechanisms for Social Control

1. Government Regulation

2. Government Funding

3. Product Liability and Litigation

4. Public Participation

5. Advance Assessment

6. Legislative Limits

Later Lectures!

Question: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different mechanisms for social control?

Government Regulation

Strengths:

• Government in a position to save lives, save environment

• Can develop preventative standards

• Gov’t can act as an advocate for the non-powerful

Weaknesses:

• Government is open to politicization

• Rules are not necessarily context specific

• Gov’t is often reactive instead of proactive

Government Funding

Strengths:

• Able to finance projects that require large capital investment and benefits that are long-term

• Can avoid commercial interests

• Provide basic services that are valuable but not profitable

Weaknesses:

• May sponsor projects that do not have public support

• Open to lobby efforts, or influences from the powerful

Product Liability and Litigation

Strengths:• Police corporations that may want to cut corners• Protection for consumers

Weaknesses:• Helpful only after a problem occurs• Adds to costs of products

Legislative Limits

(e.g. Levels of AOX in pulp mill effluent: 1.5 kg / ton)(See Vincent Di Norcia reading)

Strengths:• Clear way of saying NO• Raise public awareness to environmental/social concerns

Weaknesses:• Tend to be restrictive measures. Less often a complete ban.

• Can promote a technical fix, when a rethinking of the

entire technology may be warranted• May be ‘reactive’

John Street: The State and Technology

How does political structure affect how government policy is developed?

Comparison of McGinn to Street

McGinns “mechanisms for social control”

Street’s “types of state involvement”

• Government regulation • State as regulator

• Government funding • State as customer

• Product Liability and Litigation

• State as underwriter

• Public Participation

• Advance Assessment

• Legislative Limits

Street: State as regulator

The form of regulation depends very much on the type of government

Example: Mass communications and radio in the UK versus the USA

Britain USACentrally organized network (BBC) Unregulated, commercially driven

Audience as “rational citizens” Audience as consumers, market for advertising

Onus is on the potential broadcaster to give reason why (s)he should broadcast at all

Push to fill the airwaves

Characteristics of Mass Communications

Britain USACentralized power structure Federation

Patents played a major role toward monopoly

Decision to open the airwaves market

Highly restrictive secrecy legislation, military interests given priority

Freedom of expression and information given priority

Political Structure

Little technological reason for different broadcast systems!

Question

• Can you think of technologies where Canada has more centralized regulatory control and those where Canada has more decentralized control?

State as customer

• Certain technologies are integral to central functions of government– Military, Surveillance

– Computer systems for taxation, welfare, etc.

• The government is a large customer … it can have a major impact on the design of a technology

• Government can affect competitiveness– E.g. Toronto Transit Commission

State as customer“a political structure which excludes economic competition

or political pluralism is liable to have a technology policy dictated by particular interests.”(p 58)

but…

“a lack of central coordination can lead to the underdevelopment of technology policy” (p 58)

State as Underwriter

• State funds technological development– In Canada, we have:

• Crown corporations• Funding for research and development (NSERC)

– In US, France and Britain, a very large proportion of research and development funds are directed to defense

• Since the cold war ->civil applications for military R&D facilities

• Example: Las Alamos National Laboratory and TRANSIMS

Limits of Political ControlNIMBY

NIMBY – Not in my backyard

• Democracy -> some notion of consent.

• How does a government handle situations where the costs of an action falls unevenly upon its citizens? – Public enquiries and commissions to legitimate action

– Good example: The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline

Question:

Examples of NIMBY being a positive force in limiting the control of the state?

Examples of NIMBY being a negative force?

Time Horizons of Technology Policy

“Technology policy tends to work to a longer time horizon than democracy. …. Whilst a particular leadership is in power it may prefer pragmatic, short-term solutions to those long-term solutions which a coherent technology policy might need.” (Street p. 67)

Problem of Transnational Technologies

• Internet

• Media

• Technologies that may erode a nation’s cultural heritage (e.g. American clothing exported around the world, technologies that require knowledge of English language)

• Pollution that crosses borders

To what extent can (should?) a government attempt to control technologies such as these?

Global Economics

• How much is a government driven by (or controlled by) global economics? – Do governments have real control over bank mergers?

– Heavy pressure is placed on a government to deregulate and allow mergers, so that firms can compete globally

– Funding for R&D and priorities in education

• often driven by the desire for global competitiveness rather than social needs

To think about…

Does a government direct the development of technology? Or is it forced merely to respond to the demands made upon it by technology?