Stoic Philosophy and the Control Problem of AI Technology: Caught in the Web (Values and Identities: Crossing Philosophical Borders)

To what degree is technology in the form of products and processes capable of contributing human enhancement and wellbeing? In cases where the impact of a technology on society is not only very negligible but overall negative and harmful, what is technology good for? To answer these questions, Spence develops and applies a normative model based on rationalist and virtue ethics as well as stoic philosophy. Its primary purpose is to determine the essential conditions that any normative theory that seeks to assess the impact of technology on wellbeing must adequately address in order to be able to account for, explain and evaluate what contribution, if any, technology is capable of making to the attainment and enhancement of human wellbeing. Through developing this model, Spence offers a novel and important examination of the benefit of technology to our society as a whole. Cover 1 Half Title page 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Chapter 1: Introduction 12 Rationale and Approach 12 Main Themes and Objectives 14 Chapter Synopsis 17 References 19 Chapter 2: What Is Technology Good For? 22 Introduction 22 Two Meta-Conditions for any Normative T-GLAT 23 The Adequacy of Theories of the Good Life and Technology 25 The Eudaimonic Model for Evaluating the Goodness of Technology (EMEGOT) 28 A Sustainable Good Life and Technology 31 The Eudaimonic Model for Evaluating the Goodness of Technologies 33 Conclusion 34 Notes 34 References 35 Chapter 3: Stoic and Neo-Stoic Philosophy 38 Introduction 38 Stoic Philosophy 41 Comparison of Stoic Philosophy and Gewirth’s Rationalist Philosophy 45 Conclusion 64 Notes 64 References 67 Chapter 4: Application of Stoic Philosophy to Technology 70 Introduction 70 The Core Problem of Stoic Philosophy and Technology 71 The Principles of Stoic Philosophy and their Application to Technology 73 Conclusion: Why the Application of Stoic Philosophy to Technology is of Relevance 81 Notes 81 References 82 Chapter 5: Wisdom and Well-Being 84 A Universal Model for Evaluating the Normative Quality of Digital Information 87 Information, Knowledge and Wisdom 91 Wisdom and the Evaluation of Digital Information in Relation to a Good Life 99 Why Wisdom is of Relevance to the Evaluation of Digital Information 101 Conclusion 106 Notes 107 References 110 Chapter 6: Tech Media Corruption in the Age of Information 112 Introduction 112 What Is Facebook’s Professional and Institutional Role? 114 Facebook’s Normative Commitments as a Media Company 118 The Cambridge Analytica Case 120 The Normative Violations by Facebook in the Cambridge Analytica Case 121 The Myth of Gyges and the Characterising Features of Corruption 122 Does Facebook’s Part in the Cambridge Analytica Case Constitute Media Corruption? 125 The Conflict of Interest at the Heart of Facebook’s Business Model 126 The Corrupting Effects of Facebook’s Violation of Its Normative Media Responsibilities 126 Conclusion: The Systemic Problem of Harvesting and Marketing Information 130 Notes 132 References 134 Chapter 7: The Normative Impact of ICT Technologies on Well-Being 136 Introduction 136 Autonomy, Integrity and Dignity 138 The Concept of Self-Respect 140 The Agent’s Dual Standpoint 145 Autonomy and Integrity 148 The Dignity-Conferring Value of Rights 152 The Social Dimension of Personal Dignity 154 Conclusion 155 Notes 158 References 158 Chapter 8: The Normative Impact of AI Technologies on Well-Being 160 Introduction 160 The Control Problem and Digital Sovereignty 161 The Control Problem and the Normativity of Algorithms 163 The Identity-Paradox 174 Shared Responsibility, Compliance and Legislation 176 Digital Rights and the Rights to Identity 184 Conclusion 193 Notes 196 References 197 Chapter 9: Smart Machines and Wise Guys 200 Introduction 200 The Control Problem and Superintelligence 203 The Meta-Control Problem of Technology: Assault on Human Dignity 208 The Antidote of Stoic Philosophy to the Control of Big Tech 213 The Normative Requirements of AI Research 217 The Relationship between Humans and AI Machines 221 The Human Relationship between Nature and Technology 230 What’s Love Got to Do With It 235 Notes 241 References 242 Index 244 About the Author 258 "Spence develops and applies a normative model based on rationalist and virtue ethics as well as stoic philosophy to assess the impact of technology on wellbeing. Through developing this model, Spence offers a novel and important examination of the benefit of technology to our society as a whole"-- Provided by publisher