Mind, Machine and Morality

Technology is the conduit of power. In our modern world it is the gatekeeper which acts to decide who shall have and who shall have not. One either works for technology or technology works for you. As this dominant force, technology is beginning to shape the human race just as much as we shape its constituent systems. But where is this all going? Who provides the directions, the intentions, the goals of this symbiotic human-machine hybrid? Most often this is not the creators of technology who are so busy with the exciting innovations that they look to make. Neither is it our social leaders, largely because most of these individuals possess only enough technical know-how to react to innovations, not to anticipate or direct its progress. Neither do we see any evidence of some omnipotent 'invisible hand,' the simple fact is that no one is directing this enterprise.In "Mind, Machine and Morality", Peter Hancock asks questions about this insensate progress and has the temerity to suggest some cognate answers. He argues for the unbreakable symbiosis of purpose and process, and examines some of the dangerous possibilities that emerge when science and purpose meet. Historically, this work is a modern-day child of Bacon's hope for the 'Great Instauration' and Wilson's appeal for 'Consilience.' However, unlike its forebears, the focus here is on human-machine systems. The emphasis is centered on the conception that the active, extensive face of modern philosophy is technology. Whatever we are to become is bound up not only in our biology but critically in our technology. And to achieve a rationale progress we must express manifest purpose. This book is one small step in that direction.Drawing together his many seminal writings on human-machine interaction and adapting these works specifically for this collection, Peter Hancock provides real food for thought, delighting readers with his unique philosophical perspective and outstanding writing. This is theoretical work of the highest order and will open the mind of the most seasoned human factors expert.