Handbook of Research on Technoethics

Citation

Schutte, M. (2009), "Handbook of Research on Technoethics", Online Information Review, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 619-620. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520910970031

Technology has become ingrained in numerous aspects of our daily lives and as a result has affected our relationships with other people and the environment. The Handbook of Research on Technoethics aims to examine the many and varied new ethical concerns that are emerging as a result of the unremitting impact of technology on contemporary society. This collection draws on the expertise and research of scores of authors from around the world to provide a methodical overview of the emerging field of technoethics. The authors present a broad range of perspectives, including business, psychology, healthcare, medicine, leisure, sport, anthropology, communication, engineering, computing and the military.

The editors have organised the 54 chapters into five sections. “Theoretical frameworks in technoethics” introduces the reader to the theory, historical background and conceptual development of the interdisciplinary field of technoethics. The second section, “Research areas of technoethics”, explores the various areas of interest of technoethics. These include such issues as digital citizenship, the social impact of genetic engineering, the digital divide, nano‐scale research for military applications, etc. The third part, “Case studies and applications in technoethics”, investigates how the issues manifest themselves in real‐world situations and offers critical perspectives on the development and use of technology. In the fourth section, “Emerging trends and issues in technoethics”, current issues and new developments are reviewed. Chapters in this section deal with such topics as individual and group privacy, pornography, identity theft, information overload, etc. In “Further reading in technoethics”, the final section, the reader is presented with a selection of previously published articles and chapters from books. These chapters serve as a collection of additional reading for those who would like to dig deeper into the application of technoethics in a variety of areas such as psychology, information systems evaluation, web‐based learning, computing, healthcare, national security, law and e‐business.

All chapters contain references, additional readings and key terms. In addition, the title boasts a combined list of references spanning 90 pages. Regrettably the handbook's usefulness is impeded by the inadequate 4.5‐page index.

The handbook should prove very useful to anyone interested in the current state of affairs in which society is shaped by, and shapes, technology. It should be of particular use in instruction on ethical issues, as well as the duties of ethics committees, as it addresses possible solutions to the concerns and dilemmas raised by the use and abuse of technology.