Exemplarist Technology Ethics: Why Seymour Papert and Neo matter more than principles

Alex Mussgnug
Stanford University

Stevenson 1300
12:00 PM

Most technology ethics starts with theory: utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics. But what if we started with people instead? This talk introduces exemplarist technology ethics — an approach that grounds ethical understanding in the study of individuals who embody technological virtue. I'll examine Seymour Papert, the visionary computing educator who saw technology as a tool for human empowerment rather than replacement, and Neo from The Matrix, whose choices illuminate what technomoral courage looks like. I end with a theory outlining how and what we can learn from fictional and real technomoral exemplars.

Held in collaboration with the Center for Ethics, Law, and Society.