Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges
The Society of Control is a philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze in the early 1990s to highlight the transition from Michel Foucault’s Disciplinary Society to a new social constitution of power assisted by digital technologies. The Society of Control is organized around switches, which...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Ethics & Bioethics (in Central Europe) |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2020-0019 |
| _version_ | 1818909079933812736 |
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| author | Laniuk Yevhen |
| author_facet | Laniuk Yevhen |
| author_sort | Laniuk Yevhen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Society of Control is a philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze in the early 1990s to highlight the transition from Michel Foucault’s Disciplinary Society to a new social constitution of power assisted by digital technologies. The Society of Control is organized around switches, which convert data, and, in this way, exercise power. These switches take data inputs (digitized information about individuals) and transform them into outputs (decisions) based on their pre-programmed instructions. I call these switches “automated decision-making algorithms” (ADMAs) and look at ethical issues that arise from their impact on human freedom. I distinguish between negative and positive aspects of freedom and examine the impact of the ADMAs on both. My main argument is that freedom becomes endangered in this new ecosystem of computerized control, which makes individuals powerless in new and unprecedented ways. Finally, I suggest a few ways to recover freedom, while preserving the economic benefits of the ADMAs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:21:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de875505036c473896284909db787eb2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2453-7829 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:21:13Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ethics & Bioethics (in Central Europe) |
| spelling | doaj.art-de875505036c473896284909db787eb22022-12-21T20:03:38ZengSciendoEthics & Bioethics (in Central Europe)2453-78292020-12-01103-420322010.2478/ebce-2020-0019ebce-2020-0019Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challengesLaniuk Yevhen0Ivan Franko National University of Lviv (Ukraine)The Society of Control is a philosophical concept developed by Gilles Deleuze in the early 1990s to highlight the transition from Michel Foucault’s Disciplinary Society to a new social constitution of power assisted by digital technologies. The Society of Control is organized around switches, which convert data, and, in this way, exercise power. These switches take data inputs (digitized information about individuals) and transform them into outputs (decisions) based on their pre-programmed instructions. I call these switches “automated decision-making algorithms” (ADMAs) and look at ethical issues that arise from their impact on human freedom. I distinguish between negative and positive aspects of freedom and examine the impact of the ADMAs on both. My main argument is that freedom becomes endangered in this new ecosystem of computerized control, which makes individuals powerless in new and unprecedented ways. Finally, I suggest a few ways to recover freedom, while preserving the economic benefits of the ADMAs.https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2020-0019freedompowersociety of controlautomated decision-making algorithmsdigital technologies |
| spellingShingle | Laniuk Yevhen Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges Ethics & Bioethics (in Central Europe) freedom power society of control automated decision-making algorithms digital technologies |
| title | Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges |
| title_full | Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges |
| title_fullStr | Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges |
| title_short | Freedom in the Society of Control: Ethical challenges |
| title_sort | freedom in the society of control ethical challenges |
| topic | freedom power society of control automated decision-making algorithms digital technologies |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/ebce-2020-0019 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laniukyevhen freedominthesocietyofcontrolethicalchallenges |