Overview

This book investigates behaviour change technologies (BCTs) from an ethical perspective, examining the broader societal and philosophical implications of these types of technologies. These technologies—ranging from fitness trackers and smart home systems to digital nudging and persuasive AI—are increasingly shaping our choices, habits, and lifestyles. This book moves beyond nudging and persuasion to explore a broader spectrum of ethical concerns, including autonomy, privacy, trust, responsibility, and social justice. Contributors from leading scholars do not merely critique BCTs but also offer constructive ethical frameworks and ethical analysis for their responsible design and implementation.

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9781786613264

Table of Contents

Reviews

The ethics of developing and using scientific understanding to influence human behaviour is something every researcher, practitioner and user of behavioural science must have at the forefront of our minds. This excellent book takes readers expertly through discussions on the key issues that arise, including respect for autonomy, privacy, transparency and responsibility. -- —Susan Michie, Director of UCL Centre for Behaviour Change and Co-Director of Behavioural Research UK, and Robert West, Professor Emeritus of Health Psychology, University College London, UK In a time when digital technologies are pervasively and effectively shaping behaviour, we need to not only critically discuss how they impact individual freedom, but also address broader societal and political issues. The Ethics of Behaviour Change spans this range and helps us to navigate issues such as autonomy and privacy but also justice and the interaction with cultural values and norms, thus challenging Western-centric approaches. -- Mark Coeckelbergh, Professor of Philosophy of Media and Technology and former President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, University of Vienna, Austria

Author Information

Joel Anderson is Professor of Moral Psychology and Social Philosophy at the Ethics Institute in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. In his work, he develops a relational and intersubjectivist conception of autonomy, a recognitional account of critical social theory, an ""extended"" approach to self-regulation and disability studies, and a social ethics of technology. He is currently working on a book on ""Autonomy Gaps"" and editing a collection about how technology is ""Disrupting the Human."" He is also a principal investigator in the research consortium Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT.nl). Lily E. Frank is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. Her research encompasses biomedical ethics, biotechnology, moral psychology, and ethics of technology. Currently, she investigates topics such as moral expertise, the moralization of health conditions, and the interplay between technology and moral progress. She also explores reproductive ethics, including issues like abortion and the development of artificial uteruses. Frank serves as a Senior Researcher at the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology and is a board member of the TU/e Center for Humans and Technology. Andreas Spahn is Associate Professor in the Philosophy and Ethics research group at the Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands. He has worked and published on ethics of behaviour change technologies and persuasive technologies, ethics of energy systems, and environmental ethics, as well as on the role of ethics in engineering education. Spahn is a member of the management team and senior researchers in the 4TU Center for Ethics and Technology, as well as in the ESDiT research program on Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies.

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