Modern emerging technologies could be seen as drawing on the foundationalAsilomar Conference on biotechnology held in February 1975 at Pacific Grove in Monterrey, California. At the Conference, more than 140 experts ranging from biologists to physicians to legal experts met to examine the potential and risks of the emergent biotechnology at the time. Later came the Human Genome Project, and then, in 2001, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) for emerging technologies was funded by the Congress of the United States. “The NNI is a U.S. Government research and development (R&D) initiative launched in 2000 and funded by Congress in 2001. Over thirty Federal departments, independent agencies, and commissions work together toward the shared vision of a future in which the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale leads to ongoing revolutions in technology and industry that benefit society.”
In this lecture, Layne Hartsell says that one key theme is the need of a democratic technics for a responsible and ethical approach to technology development relying upon global justice and ecological philosophy. This set of ideas stands in contrast to the technoutopian view that technology alone can solve our problems, which he calls a “religious project full of self-exaltation and human supremacism.” Instead, the focus should be on technologies that empower local communities, attenuate urbanization, reduce resource consumption, and prioritize medical innovation and environmental protection. Examples, which he acknowledges are still science fiction, include distributed manufacturing, open science, and nanotechnology within the management of democratic technics (and economy) along the lines of the discussions at Asilomar.
He also emphasizes the importance of bioregionalism, a part of ecological philosophy that values the observation, maintenance, and harmony within nature from the biotic community up to the bioregional. This approach of bioregional integrity involves free and open reasoning as public education, land-based learning, and widespread adoption of eco-centric perspectives. Additionally, political reform is seen as crucial, transitioning quickly away from unsustainable models like fossil fuel dependence/escalation and towards democratic bioregional governance structures such as democratic ecological confederalism.
In his recent talk, individual and social transformation were also highlighted as essential, integral elements for a sustainable future to move away from the fragemented individualism of today.“Embracing integral simplicity encourages a flourishing life that values human connection, cultural exploration and innovation, and intellectual pursuits alongside environmentalism. Rewilding initiatives, urban greening, and agroecological practices offer concrete steps towards achieving this harmony with nature.”
Overall, the recent 14th Social Ethics Society Conference in the Philippineson emerging technologies and sustainability served as a call to action, urging us to adopt a more conscious and responsible approach to technology development and embrace a reorientation towards ecological well-being. By integrating democratic technics, bioregionalism, and individual transformation, we can create a future where technology is developed within an eco-centric and democratic technics to navigate a world in distress and emerge into a better future.
Layne Hartsell, MSc., MA., Ph.D. is a research professor at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society, Department of Philosophy, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and at the Asia Institute in Tokyo/Berlin. Former research professor at Sungkyunkwan University and the Advanced Institute for Nanotechnology; and Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea; and researcher at the University of Virginia College of Medicine, U.S. He is a board member at the Korea IT Times, Seoul.
