LIS 160 Portfolio: Entry #1

Do you think technology is neutral? Explain in 150–200 words.

If we talk about technology as material products, then I believe that technology is indeed inherently neutral.

However, I feel that it is almost impossible to separate technology from human activity. Technology’s purpose is to serve humanity, and with that comes the morality in how and why we use it.

According to Aristotle in Book 1 of Nichomachean Ethics, the arts have no inherent moral value. The human activity and the intentions associated with it lie with what is produced which is where we can find the good or the bad. We can apply the same concept with technology. For example, I can use a computer to look for ways on how to reduce my ecological footprint, or I can use a computer to research how to make a home-made bomb. The computer itself is neither good or bad, but the product or result is where the moral value lies.

So in essence, I believe that technology can either be good or bad depending on how one makes use of it and the moral value of what it yields.