Why Technology Always Bites Back

Abstract

We investigate the faulty assumptions responsible for the failure of a prime technology. We show that many of the faulty assumptions apply to virtually all technologies, and that, in essence, technology is literally encased in a vast and complex web of institutions and stakeholders, and their assumptions. We raise a prime ethical question: If technologies contain potentially dangerous known and unknown side effects, should we ever use any technology, the consequences of which we do not completely understand and are able to contain? We argue that the management of technology and Ethical Management must be done together at every step from the initial design of a technology to its operation, maintenance, and eventual disposal. In short, we show why technology and ethics are inseparable.