This document discusses the ethical dimensions of technologies used to prolong life, such as considerations around euthanasia. It presents a multi-dimensional approach to technology, considering both the concrete artifacts as well as the social rules and communications that develop around technologies. Technologies to prolong life have generated discussions and decisions around euthanasia. Both individuals and medical systems develop their own ethics regarding defending or prolonging life, which interact and shape technologies and their acceptance. The ethics dimension of technology is seen as both a dialectic process between these perspectives and a second order technology that administers and determines the use of first order life prolonging technologies.

1. The Ethic Dimension of Technology. The case of technologies to prolong life Giulia Caramaschi 7th International Conference of Sociocybernetics Social Knowledge for the Contemporary World Murcia, Spain, June 18-23 2007

3. society technology individuals Technology in a net of structural couplings

4. not completely pre-viewable effects of technological artifacts (will technology work?) unknown reaction of the environment in front of technology (will technology be accepted? How it will be used?) Technology in a net of structural couplings Technologies and society Technologies and individuals risk

5. A multi-dimensional approach to technology Technology as a concrete artifact (technology that has to work) Technology as a communicative construct (technology that has to be accepted) discourses, laws, politics debate etc., are continuously created in order to manage and promote the possibility of technology to be accepted

6. A multi-dimensional approach to technology discourses, laws, politics debate etc… that specify the uses of technology that become themselves technology they give rise to rules and praxis to manage technology they become instruments to manage complexity, as the technology they rise from

10. Technology to prolong life and euthanasia Technology to prolong life have constructed the problem of euthanasia They generated the problem They gave rise to communications (and decisions) about the problem They gave rise to euthanasia as a technology HOW?

13. Ethic dimension of technology as a dialectic dimension Ethics of life Ethics of medicine the ethics dimension of technology reciprocal observation and reactions technology has to be accepted technology has to be accepted technology has to be useful

14. Ethic dimension of technology as a second order artifact the ethics dimension of technology Ethics as a reflection about morality: how morality is presented, through which criterion it should be oriented. Ethics of technology: a reflection about the moral use of technology as it should be.

15. Ethic dimension of technology as a second order artifact the ethics dimension of technology It serves to administrate technology (rules, codes, functioning simplification of technology) It determines the use of technology (concrete praxis, decisions) It is a technology itself – or a second order technology.