14.3 Design for Values
303
are free, we are the product. I have serious doubts that such a system is compatible
with human dignity, and it will probably cause a lot of problems.
For such reasons, I am also critical about utilitarian ethics, which makes numerical
optimization, i.e. business-like thinking, the foundation of “ethical” decision-making.
Such an approach gives everyone and everything (including humans and their organs)
a certain value or price and implies that it would be even justified to kill people in
order to save others, as the “trolley problem” seems to suggest. In the end, this would
probably turn peaceful societies into a state of war or “unpeace”, in which only
one thing would count (namely, money, or whatever is chosen as utility function—it
could also be power or security, for example, or any kind of Citizen Score).
This is the main problem of the utilitarian approach. While it aims to optimize
society, it will actually destroy it little by little. The reason is that a one-dimensional
optimization and control approach is not suited to handle the complexity of today’s
world. Societies cannot be steered like a car, where everyone moves right or left, as
desired.
80 For societies to thrive, one needs to be able to steer into different directions at the same time, such as better education, improved health, reduced consumption of non-renewable energy, more sustainability, and increased happiness. This
requires a multi-dimensional approach rather than one-dimensional optimization,
and therefore, cities and countries are managed differently from companies (and live
much longer!). The before mentioned requirement of pluralism has so far been best
fulfilled by democratic forms of organization. However, a digital upgrade of democracies is certainly overdue. For this reason, it has been proposed to build “Digital
Democracies” (or Democracies x.0, where x is a natural number greater than 1).
81
14.3.3 Human Dignity
It is for the above reasons that human dignity has been put first in many constitutions. Human dignity is considered to be a right that’s given to us by birth, and
it is considered to be the very foundation of many societies. It is the human right
that stands above everything else. Politics and other institutions must take action to
protect human dignity from violations by public institutions and private actors, also
abroad. Societal institutions lose their legitimacy if they do not engage effectively in
this protection.
82 Improving human dignity on short, medium and long time scales
should, therefore, be the main goal of political and human action. This is obviously
not just about protecting or creating jobs, but it also calls for many other things such
as sustainability, for example.
The question is, what is human dignity really about? It means, in particular, that
humans are not supposed to be treated like animals, objects or data. They have
80 Society Is Not A Machine, Optimization Not the Right Paradigm! Edge Question (2016) https://
www.edge.org/response-detail/26795.
81 Helbing and Pournaras [22], Helbing [23].
82 See https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menschenwürde, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity.
303
are free, we are the product. I have serious doubts that such a system is compatible
with human dignity, and it will probably cause a lot of problems.
For such reasons, I am also critical about utilitarian ethics, which makes numerical
optimization, i.e. business-like thinking, the foundation of “ethical” decision-making.
Such an approach gives everyone and everything (including humans and their organs)
a certain value or price and implies that it would be even justified to kill people in
order to save others, as the “trolley problem” seems to suggest. In the end, this would
probably turn peaceful societies into a state of war or “unpeace”, in which only
one thing would count (namely, money, or whatever is chosen as utility function—it
could also be power or security, for example, or any kind of Citizen Score).
This is the main problem of the utilitarian approach. While it aims to optimize
society, it will actually destroy it little by little. The reason is that a one-dimensional
optimization and control approach is not suited to handle the complexity of today’s
world. Societies cannot be steered like a car, where everyone moves right or left, as
desired.
80 For societies to thrive, one needs to be able to steer into different directions at the same time, such as better education, improved health, reduced consumption of non-renewable energy, more sustainability, and increased happiness. This
requires a multi-dimensional approach rather than one-dimensional optimization,
and therefore, cities and countries are managed differently from companies (and live
much longer!). The before mentioned requirement of pluralism has so far been best
fulfilled by democratic forms of organization. However, a digital upgrade of democracies is certainly overdue. For this reason, it has been proposed to build “Digital
Democracies” (or Democracies x.0, where x is a natural number greater than 1).
81
14.3.3 Human Dignity
It is for the above reasons that human dignity has been put first in many constitutions. Human dignity is considered to be a right that’s given to us by birth, and
it is considered to be the very foundation of many societies. It is the human right
that stands above everything else. Politics and other institutions must take action to
protect human dignity from violations by public institutions and private actors, also
abroad. Societal institutions lose their legitimacy if they do not engage effectively in
this protection.
82 Improving human dignity on short, medium and long time scales
should, therefore, be the main goal of political and human action. This is obviously
not just about protecting or creating jobs, but it also calls for many other things such
as sustainability, for example.
The question is, what is human dignity really about? It means, in particular, that
humans are not supposed to be treated like animals, objects or data. They have
80 Society Is Not A Machine, Optimization Not the Right Paradigm! Edge Question (2016) https://
www.edge.org/response-detail/26795.
81 Helbing and Pournaras [22], Helbing [23].
82 See https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menschenwürde, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity.