DenkfabrEthik
Event for the Ethical, Social, and Societal Discourse of Digitalization
The digital age is bringing fundamental transformations to all areas of society. The penetration of modern information and communications technology into the professional and private lives of each one of us is growing faster and faster. At present, however, the actors in this transformation are often still too strongly oriented toward what is technically possible, economically promising or politically desirable, and not primarily toward the needs of the people who use these technologies.
It is therefore incumbent upon scientific actors, among others, to become actively involved in this transformation in order to shape the influences and effects on the numerous areas of life and society for the benefit of all. This requires an ethical, social, and societal discourse between the various actors from science, industry, and society with the aim of discussing the potentials and risks of technology diffusion in an open-ended manner. This is intended to create a common understanding that does not consist solely of abstract theories, but grows significantly from the living exchange of people and describes both consolidated goals and limits for digitization.
The Tech4Age junior research group launched the DenkfabrEthik platform in 2015 for precisely this purpose. The pronounced goal of DenkfabrEthik is to lead an open discussion of ethical, legal, and social aspects of digitization with all those involved in a process. Individual DenkfabrEthik events under the patronage of Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen focus on different areas of application. However, the focus is always on the exchange of opinions between science, industry, users, and the public. In addition to identifying and discussing current ethically relevant issues that arise in practice because of digitization, the scientists at the Institute of Ergonomics also aim to raise awareness of the ethical and social implications of technical innovations. The DenkfabrEthik acts as an independent exchange and network platform that supports the sustainable design of technical systems and organizations. In doing so, the decision-making competence of individuals and organizations is strengthened and recommendations, decision-making aids and positions on ethical, legal and social issues relevant to practice are developed.
| 5th DenkfabrEthik on the Topic: Digital Autonomy and Smart Wearables |