In the first unit we will begin by considering some necessary theoretical background. I will also introduce some general challenges to the value of technology. 

In the second unit we will explore ethical questions raised by a number of different ways in which recent technological innovations are used in medical treatment ranging from the role of technology in reproductive medicine to stem cell research. We will end the unit by examining Sandel’s recent work, which argues against the use of technology to try to create “biological perfection.”

In the third unit we will consider questions concerning information and artificial intelligence technology. This unit will be orientated around two main topics. The first concerns the moral permissibility of using increasingly more and more sophisticated technology to monitor people. The second, issues surrounding the development of robots—in particular robots with artificial intelligence.

In the fourth, and final unit, we will turn to a consideration of environmental and agricultural technology. We will focus on how ethical questions surrounding technology play a part in addressing the morally urgent problem of climate change. We will end this unit by considering some select topics in the use of technology in agriculture, including the emerging technological innovation of “in vitro” meat.