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The Technological Mediation of Morality

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The Technological Mediation of Morality The Technological Mediation of Morality of Technological Mediation The In this dissertation, Olya Kudina investigates the complex interactions between ethics and technology. Center stage to this is the phenomenon of “value dynamism” that explores how technologies co-shape the meaning of values that guide us through our lives and with which we evaluate these same technologies. The dissertation provides an encompassing view on value dynamism and the mediating role of technologies in it through empirical and philosophical investigations, as well as with attention to the larger fields of ethics, design and Technology Assessment. THE TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIATION OF MORALITY: Olya Kudina Olya VALUE DYNAMISM, AND THE COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY University of Twente 2019 Olya Kudina THE TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIATION OF MORALITY VALUE DYNAMISM, AND THE COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY Olya Kudina THE TECHNOLOGICAL MEDIATION OF MORALITY VALUE DYNAMISM, AND THE COMPLEX INTERACTION BETWEEN ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY DISSERTATION to obtain the degree of doctor at the University of Twente, on the authority of the rector magnificus, prof.dr. T.T.M. Palstra, on account of the decision of the Doctorate Board, to be publicly defended on Friday the 17th of May 2019 at 14:45 hours by Olga Kudina born on the 11th of January 1990 in Vinnytsia, Ukraine This dissertation has been approved by: Graduation Committee Supervisor: Chairman/secretary Prof. dr. Th.A.J. Toonen University of Twente Supervisor Prof. dr. ir. P.P.C.C. Verbeek University of Twente Prof. dr. ir. P.P.C.C. Verbeek Co-supervisor Dr. M. Nagenborg University of Twente Co-supervisor: Committee Members Dr. M. Boenink University of Twente Dr. M. Nagenborg Prof. dr. T. Swierstra University of Maastricht Prof. dr. ir. I. van de Poel Delft University of Technology Prof. dr. I. Devisch Ghent University Prof. dr. D. Heylen University of Twente Cover design by Kostiantyn Kuchabskyi Lay-out by Lara Leijtens, persoonlijkproefschrift.nl Printed by Ipskamp Printing, proefschriften.net ISBN: 978-90-365-4744-4 DOI: 10.3990/1.9789036547444 © 2019 Olya Kudina, The Netherlands. All rights reserved. No parts of this thesis may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission of the author. Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden vermenigvuldigd, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, zonder voorafgaande schriftelijke toestemming van de auteur. This work is financed by the Dutch National Science Foundation (NWO) VICI grant (grant number: 277-20-006) for the project “Theorizing Technological Mediation: Toward an Empirical-Philosophical Theory of Technology,” led by Prof. dr. Ir. P.P.C.C. Verbeek. Acknowledgments that happened to me in this PhD: your energy, kindness, perseverance and unconditional friendship still amaze me. Melis and Jonne, thanks for agreeing to also be my paranymphs. It’s hard to believe that my PhD journey is coming to an end, and what a journey it has been! I often hear that working on your PhD is a lonely and hermit-like activity—luckily, I’d like to thank 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology for making me a part of the wider I cannot relate at all. I have enjoyed every part of being a PhD candidate, a courtesy of network in our field, and especially for giving me a generous grant to pursue a part of my all the brilliant and smart people who have constantly accompanied me along the way. research in the States and attend Yale Bioethics Institute. Sven, thank you for always finding time to read my work. Mark, Nicola and Sven, much thanks for always agreeing to coach the Peter-Paul, thank you for believing in the enthusiastic student with hectic ideas and no writing retreats! I am particularly grateful to have been a part of the 4TU.Ethics Graduate philosophical background whatsoever. Since the moment I met you in Buenos Aires, I School, getting to know non-Twente PhDs—Marjolein, Naomi, Taylor, Zoë, Shannon, Jan knew we’d get along, but I didn’t know that I’d be lucky to work with you and get to know and many others. Together, we have attended numerous courses, organized writing retreats the wonderful person that you are. Thank you for being my mentor, giving me a whole and visited several conferences. Thank you for trusting me to represent you in 2017-18. ocean to swim in and letting me find my way while being always there for me. You have taught me to question things, no matter how traditional or conventional, and how to stand I’d also like to thank my EPET colleagues for our thought-provoking discussions that my ground. I hope this PhD is just the beginning of our future work together! have undoubtedly shaped my thesis. Tsjalling and Sarah, thank you for setting me on this PhD track and for being challenging intellectual partners, I would not be where I Michael, I have learned so much from you over these four years: that PhD is a marathon am today without your help. and not a sprint and how to estimate my strength accordingly, how to become better organized and more punctual, how to be a teacher and how much we can learn from our I’m also grateful for having been a part of OZSW PhD Council—Marjolein, I still don’t students if we only listen. I can go on and on because you are a great supervisor, reliable, know how it happened but such is your magic. Tjidde, Michael, Jan, Marthe, Daphne and optimistic no matter what, encouraging and when necessary critical, but always available others— thank you for making Texel, TechDystopia and DFDoP happen. and attentive. Thanks so much, Michael! I would also like to thank Lori and Steve for letting me be a part of the Sherwin B. Nuland Bas and Jonne, I am lucky to have had you as the best partners in crime throughout my Summer Institute in Bioethics. Our insightful conversations, joined by Shizuko, Dan, PhD. We were in the same boat, sharing similar difficulties and cheering for each other’s Santa, Santi, Zohar, Mayli, Sheena, Joe and others have re-shaped my understanding of victories. I have learned a lot from you and with you, from successfully writing purely bioethics and the role of technology in it, which you can read in my dissertation. theoretical articles to finding our way in Japan with the phones dead and no WiFi. When Nicola and Jan joined, our team adventures became only better. Finally, Mom, Dad and Yulia, thank you so much for trusting me to follow my instincts— even though it meant going back to study (Mom, I’m done for now, promise!). I appreciate My thanks also go to my departmental colleagues, who both challenge you and are always how much you engaged with my work, despite it being so unconventional in Ukrainian there for friendly conversations at the Faculty Club or Het Bolwerk. Kevin, thank you for realities. My thanks also goes to my friends in Ukraine, the Netherlands and across the being generous with your time and trying to help us PhDs write our first papers, I really globe: Dasha, Dima, Seriozha and Kos—you’ve been with me all along, helping to make appreciated your support. Marianne, thank you for taking action on our grassroots movement my abstract ideas into physical designs and proofreading my summaries. Daniel, Stefan, in empirical philosophy and also for being an engaged reader of my work. Ada, no words are Laurens, Paul and Femke—conversations with you on any subject imaginable helped sufficient to express my gratitude for your constant help and patience with my never-ending to get perspective beyond my thesis. Much thanks to my Dutch family, making me feel visas, reimbursements and small favors. My special thanks goes to the PhDs in our department welcome in the Netherlands and dutchenizing me along the way. And most importantly, and especially to Sophie, Melis, Agata, David, Mayli, Bas, Jonne and Ching with whom we Jeroen—thank you for enabling me to do this and supporting me every step of the way. started roughly at the same time: you are one of the biggest reasons why my PhD journey You motivated me to dream big and gave me a firm foundation to depart from, put up never felt lonely—even if I wanted to be alone! Here’s to all the fun times we shared, from with my hectic travels and were both my most helpful and most critical reader. Your part China and Japan to Eindhoven and Diepenheim. Melis, meeting you was one of the best things in my PhD should not be underestimated, we truly did it together. Table of contents 4.2 Turning to the (post)phenomenological origins of appropriation 88 Phenomenological inquiry into interpretation: Gadamer and the hermeneutic circle 88 Relating the hermeneutic circle account to the human appropriation of Chapter 1. Probing the relation between technology and morality 15 technologies 91 1.1 Acknowledging the role of technologies in morality 16 Accounting for the role of technologies in interpretation 94 1.2 Empirical inquiry into the moral mediation of technologies 20 Postphenomenological inquiry into interpretation: Ihde and the material The current status of empirical postphenomenology 21 hermeneutics 96 Empirical postphenomenology required to study value dynamism 23 Relating the material hermeneutics account to the human appropriation of Refining research direction 25 technologies 99 1.3 Chapter outline 25 4.3 Toward a hermeneutic lemniscate as a principle of technologically mediated appropriation 101 4.4 The hermeneutic lemniscate and the value dynamism 105 Chapter 2. Testing the assumptions of moral mediation: Google Glass 4.5 Conclusions 108 and the value of privacy 31 2.1 The need for a proof of principle 32 2.2 Exploring the technological mediation of privacy in the case of Google Glass 34 Chapter 5.
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