Do We Really Need a "Digital Humanism"? A Critique Based on Post-human Philosophy of Technology and Socio-legal Techniques (original) (raw)
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Journal of Responsible Technology, 2024
The term digital humanism is gaining traction in academia, but what does it mean? This brief discussion paper offers a conceptual analysis and discussion of the term and vision, thereby arguing for a more critical, posthumanist, and political version of digital humanism. 6 components of digital humanism Let me first note that digital humanism should not be confused with digital humanities, which refers to the application of digital technologies to the study of humanities.
Reflection on Humanism, Citizenship, and the Digital Society (from Theory to Practice
Reflection on Humanism, Citizenship, and the Digital Society (from Theory to Practice), 2023
We do not intend to deal exhaustively with this subject, because it is broad and complex for the space of a text. Our pretensions, which are much more modest, refer to documentary research for the understanding and development of humanist thought and citizenship, and some of their multiple relationships. Humanism was a movement that emerged in Italy during the Renaissance. It marked a move away from the medieval emphasis on logic and theology, and led to the rediscovery of ancient texts, the advancement of scholarship, and the transformation of art, culture, and society. The article analyzes the central ideas of Humanism, such as the importance of human dignity, individuality and learning, and demonstrates how they have influenced various domains. Humanism is a key concept in the history of human thought. There are several definitions of the concept ranging from rhetorical humanism, to the Christian humanism of the Middle Ages, and from the literary humanism of the Renaissance, to the humanism of Compte. There are several approaches to the relationship between humanism and religion. Humanism in the age of globalization may be an elaborate form of humanism capable of crossing the boundaries between the world's civilizations and overthrowing their hostile ways. Intercultural humanism must evolve as a result of the global debate. Intercultural humanism can replace the current humanism, and thus confront and overcome the many tensions and conflicts that exist between the world's divergent civilizations.
Exit (digital) humanity. Critical notes on the anthropological foundations of “digital humanism”
Journal of Responsible Technology, 2024
This paper evaluates the historical-anthropological and ethical underpinnings of the concept of "digital humanism." Our inquiry begins with a reconstructive analysis, focusing on three pivotal works defining digital humanism. The objective is to expose shared characteristics shaping the notions of "human being" and "humanity." Moving forward, our investigation employs anthropological-evolutionary and individual-cognitive perspectives to discern how cultural-historical contingencies shape the implicit understanding of the "human being" that forms the foundation for digital humanism. As an illustrative case study, we delve into Luddism to illuminate the potential and limitations of adopting a critical stance towards digital humanism. Through a thorough analysis, encompassing both efficacy and implicit anthropological elements, our goal is to extract ethical implications pertinent to our broader objective. This examination reveals the interplay between cultural-historical contingencies and anthropological constants in shaping assumptions about the "human being" within the context of digital humanism. In conclusion, our paper contributes to a nuanced understanding of the implicit assumptions permeating the digital humanism discourse. We advocate for a more critical and reflective engagement with the foundational concepts of digital humanism, urging scholars and practitioners to navigate the complexities of its historical-anthropological and ethical dimensions.
Digital humanism as a bottom-up ethics
Journal of Responsible Technology, 2024
In this paper, we explore a new perspective on digital humanism, emphasizing the centrality of multi-stakeholder dialogues and a bottom-up approach to surfacing stakeholder values. This approach starkly contrasts with existing frameworks, such as the Vienna Manifesto's top-down digital humanism, which hinges on preestablished first principles. Our approach provides a more flexible, inclusive framework that captures a broader spectrum of ethical considerations, particularly those pertinent to the digital realm. We apply our model to two case studies, comparing the insights generated with those derived from a utilitarian perspective and the Vienna Manifesto's approach. The findings underscore the enhanced effectiveness of our approach in revealing additional, often overlooked stakeholder values, not typically encapsulated by traditional top-down methodologies. Furthermore, this paper positions our digital humanism approach as a powerful tool for framing ethics-bydesign, by promoting a narrative that empowers and centralizes stakeholders. As a result, it paves the way for more nuanced, comprehensive ethical considerations in the design and implementation of digital technologies, thereby enriching the existing literature on digital ethics and setting a promising agenda for future research.
The Digital Humanism Initiative in Vienna
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The main objective of this paper is to introduce and summarise an exploratory study (Mayer, Stampfer, Strassnig & Zingerle, 2019) commissioned by the City of Vienna in 2018 to map activities for the creation of a new vision and framework for a city's<br> digital transformation strategy, and in particular to propose a programme and instruments for implementation at the crossroads of science and society. The Vienna City Administration aims to actively shape this strategy in line with the city's humanistic<br> tradition. Digital Humanism was developed as a guiding vision to offer alternatives to technocratic concepts of digitalisation. It aims to address many concerns, negative effects and challenges arising in transformative digitalisation processes such as accelerated<br> monopolisation of data and services, complete transparency of people and their behaviour (not only direct users) and losing grounds in the creation of digital commons, while at the same tim...