Ethics and Information Technologies

In the century we live, we have witnessed developments in many fields that have changed and transformed our experiences. The development and use of information technologies have provided very important opportunities for society to reshape itself and increase its capabilities. These technologies, which allow us to experience a new reality by changing the perception of time and space, have not only changed our relationships with ourselves, others and the world, and the conditions of existence in general but also brought along issues that can be considered quite dangerous and relatively harmful. It is obvious that the area most affected by the development and changes are especially morality. It is seen that the effect of the uncertainty, confusion and tension prevailing in our moral life today on our moral thought is realized as a narrowing of the horizon. When we consider that the purpose of morality is to realize, protect or not destroy freedom in our choices and actions, we can realize how difficult it is to organize and harmonize our moral actions in the face of technological innovations. It should be kept in mind that information technologies can be included in the moral framework in terms of being related to human and social life, beyond its potential benefits and risks. In this respect, the question of how to bring the moral dimension to the agenda while evaluating the issues related to information technologies is quite important. If we assume that information technologies develop social institutions and structures and change human life and culture by imposing certain values, it will be necessary to consider the issue of morality within the idea of technological determinism. The more advanced version of this view is the view of “autonomous technology” that undermines the understanding that human beings are willpower. Accordingly, not only information technologies but all technologies, beyond being just a tool, developing beyond human intentions and plans; They are tools that have their own internal logic that we can explain without reference to social references, and become independent forces. Against these views, there is the view that information technologies are not autonomous, they are produced voluntarily for certain purposes, or that they are guided by the free will of the people who produce and use it as a constructional activity or by certain values of society or ideologies.