Ethics

In spite of spectacular strides in science and technology, and still unlimited ones to come, something basic is missing. There is a sort of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to our scientific and technological abundance. The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers - Martin Luther King

This evolving paper will examine the overall Ethical Development Goals (EDGs) that Halcyon is developing to complement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Introduction

The EDGs are inspired by the SDGs, officially known as ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, an intergovernmental set of aspiration Goals with 169 targets.

Please see below selected recent ethics-related change.

See also: Halcyon Ethics Headlines

October 2018

• Google announced it would not bid for the US Defense Department cloud computing contract JEDI, potentially worth $10bn. Google explained that the company would not bid because “we couldn’t be assured that it would align with our AI Principles”. Google is one of many companies considering the ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence. Read more from CB Insights about how tech companies are confronting ethics in AI here. 

September 2018

Halcyon curates the most significant ethics-related content from carefully selected sources. Please contact us if you'd like our help with ethics-related challenges.

"Wings are for flying, not frying" ...nice quote, nice sentiment.  Animal-friendly consumerism could be a major future trend.  Until 12 years ago I too gorged myself on turkey every Christmas Day, Boxing Day, 27th...and my mouth watered long after at the remembered taste of turkey soup on the 28th or 29th, a meal which constituted one of the culinary highlights of my year.

Now, though the smell of meat still does not repulse me, some thoughtless things just can't stand up to an onslaught of values, so, all the trimmings, certainly...but no turkey (nor ham, despite the photo) for me once again this year.

This is a work in progress...

What is The Commons?

As explained in Jeremy Rifkin's website for The Zero Marginal Cost Society, the emerging Internet of Things is speeding us to an era of nearly free goods and services, precipitating the meteoric rise of a global "Collaborative Commons" and the eclipse of capitalism. Rifkin expanded on these ideas at the RSA in April 2014 (see video).

A professor and former dean at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University argued in a 2013 book that corporations should restructure around three key principles:

• First, articulate clear values: why does the company exist, and what does it believe in?
• Second, appoint “trustees” to protect the interests of stakeholders and uphold the values of the corporation.
• Third, restrict voting shares to long-term investors - and he also believes that governments should use the corporate tax system to encourage “public values by private corporations”.

Spanish runner Ivan Fernandez Anaya is still receiving attention for a race he lost in December 2012. El Pais explains how Anaya was in second place, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai. As they entered the finishing straight, he saw the Kenyan mistakenly pull up about 10 metres before the finish, thinking he'd already crossed the line. Anaya quickly caught up with him, but instead of exploiting Mutai's mistake to speed past and claim victory, he stayed behind and, using gestures, guided the Kenyan to the line and let him cross first.