Science, Technology and Ethics - Argumentative Essay Sample

Introduction

Science and technology play a role in improving lives in contemporary societies. Technology has eased the way of life by enhancing means of transport and communication processes. Additionally, technology has played a vital in research processes and the education sector. However, the relationship between science, technology, and ethics has remained a global concern over time. Different pieces of literature from scholars have provided information on the topics from different dimensions. For example, on one hand, information from scholarly materials indicates that the evolution of technology has negatively affected ethical values in contemporary societies.

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On the other hand, advancements in technology have led to positive ethical values. Such debates have spurred researchers to explore more on the three elements and their effect on each other. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to give an insight into the adverse impact of technology in the educational sector.

Despite the positive effects of technology, it has dramatically advanced unauthorized access to personal information, as an ethical concept through breach of privacy in learning institutions. Most students use the internet, which in most cases is used as a platform to hack their personal information when they go online. The use of the internet involves policies and terms, which are mostly ignored by most students. That provides leeway for access to information by the different sites visited. Consequently, the websites tamper with their personal information without consent. Additionally, the use of the internet discourages confidentiality issues since hackers may access files of various learning institutions, which may subject an institution to lack of privacy regarding important files (Ackay 121).

Additionally, the rising technological improvements in the field of research have negatively influenced the ethical stipulations regarding the protection of animals. In most cases, scientific researches use animals such as rats and hens in conducting researches. Some countries have strict rules against such practices, while other countries show loopholes since they only have restrictions against the use of certain animals. According to Ferdowsian, Hope, and Nancy (par. 8), several countries have stipulations that aim at protecting and improving the welfare of animals. However, the introduction of modern technologies in advancing scientific researches in different fields has led to the adoption of animals as experiments for researches. Such concepts lead to mistreatment of animals hence a breach of protected rights of animals.

Besides, technology may have an adverse effect on learning environments if overused. That implies that there is a need to regulate the use of technology in learning institutions. In some instances, students overuse the internet by spending most of their time on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. In addition, students may overuse the internet by engaging in some unethical practices such as plagiarism in learning environments.Plagiarism has an effect on students since in some institutions it constitutes to discontinuation. On the same breadth, application of technology in learning environments reduces the ability of students to engage in researches. The availability of resourceful information on the internet makes students to over-rely on information from the internet sources rather than engaging in library researches. Such aspects pose ethical concerns since they breach the code of conduct during tests (Bernd Carsten, Timmermans, and Flick 373).

Technology may also pose negative influences among students by changing their learning priorities. Children in the future may focus on google as their source of information rather dwelling on the actual information. This has stirred several debates whether the future generations are either lucky or doomed due to their access to information from the internet. According to a New York Times article, the findings reveal that exposure to technology may have long-lasting effects on the thinking ability of students in the future. Children in the future are likely to exhibit poor thinking skills due to the availability of information on the internet (Ritchel).

Besides, the introduction of technology in the education sector has an influence on the economy of countries. This is due to the introduction of e-learning processes, which imply that most students have no need to consult with their teachers but rather focus on some information from the web pages. Consequently, that has led to massive unemployment of trainers in various fields. Online education also has an influence on social interactions between teachers and students and among students (Bernd Carsten, Timmermans, and Flick 373). It limits interactions hence limited socialization processes. Students, therefore, fail to establish appropriate socialization skills, which may help them in their daily activities. Moreover, limited interaction processes between teachers and students also pose challenges to students who portray weaknesses in various fields. They may not be able to grasp some of the concepts since online classes may not offer guidance as it would be if teachers were to interact with students.

In some instances, technological difficulties have caused problems in learning processes. For example, the breakdown of computers used in learning processes affects the time allocated for different courses. Students would be rendered idle as the machines are repaired. Such technicalities require teachers to use other additional resources, which may costly in the learning process.

Works Cited

Akcay, Behiye. "The relationship between technology and ethics: From society to schools." Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education 9.4 (2008).Ferdowsian, Hope R., and Nancy Beck. "Ethical and scientific considerations regarding animal testing and research." PloS one 6.9 (2011): e24059.

Ritechel, Matt. ''Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say''. New York Times, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html

Stahl, Bernd Carsten, Job Timmermans, and Catherine Flick. "Ethics of Emerging Information and Communication TechnologiesOn the implementation of responsible research and innovation." Science and Public Policy 44.3 (2017): 369-381.