Philosophy and Digitization: Dangers and Possibilities in the New Digital Worlds

Abstract

Our world is undergoing an enormous digital transformation. Nearly no area of our social, informational, political, economic, cultural, and biological spheres are left unchanged. What can philosophy contribute as we try to understand and think through these changes? How does digitization challenge past ideas of who we are and where we are headed? Where does it leave our ethical aspirations and cherished ideals of democracy, equality, privacy, trust, freedom, and social embeddedness? Who gets to decide, control, and harness the powers of digitization and for which purposes? Epistemologically, do most of us understand these new mediations - and thus fabrics - of our new world? Lastly - how is the new technological landscape shaping not only our living conditions but also our collective imaginary and our self-identities?