The moral compass of innovation: philosophical and ethical reflections on technology

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15778128

Keywords:

ethical risk management, philosophy of technology, safety in technological systems, ecological sustainability, technology and human factors, innovation in safety practices, technical education for safety, sustainable technological development, socio‑environmental impacts of technology

Abstract

The accelerated development of science and technology in recent decades has sparked growing philosophical and ethical reflection on its broader implications. This article examines the conceptual foundations of technology, tracing its historical trajectory and highlighting its complex, often ambivalent, effects on human life and the natural world. Drawing on the work of influential thinkers, the study argues that technological advancement must be guided by ethical principles and ecological sensitivity. Particular attention is given to the interrelationship between science and technology, the influence of democratic transitions, and the critical role of technical education in fostering a more sustainable and human-centered technological future.

Author Biographies

  • Katarzyna Kostur, Polish Air Force University

    Katarzyna Kostur PhD. Eng.: lecturer at Polish Air Force Academy in Deblin, Department of National Security and Logistics. She has over 20 years of experience in civil aviation, working e.g. at LOT Polish Airlines, Centralwings, Bingo Airways. The functions of the cabin crew chief and cabin crew instructor were directly related to the issues of safety on board the aircraft and at the airport, as well as Crew Resource Management (CRM). She has a UAV operator license and a PPL (A) pilot license, specializes in issues related to logistics, air transport safety, and in particular the safety culture in civil air transport.

  • Tomasz Balcerzak, Lazarski University

    Tomasz Balcerzak, PhD. Eng.: assistant profesor at Lazarski University, CEO of Wademekum LTD., Expert European Commission Research Executive Agency (REA), Expert of European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency. Extensive experience in the aviation industry in managing projects of the operating companies. Founder and co-founder of several companies. Author and coauthor over 50 publications. Specializes in aviation and space.

References

1. Andrzejewski, R. (1974). Technology and education: The ethical imperative. Warsaw: Polish Academy of Sciences.

2. Baird, D. (2013). The convergence of science and technology: Perspectives from a history of innovation. MIT Press.

3. Boli, J., & Thomas, G. M. (1997). World culture in the world polity: A century of international non-governmental organization. American Sociological Review, 62(2), 171–190. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657298

4. Borgosz, J. (1994). Człowiek w świecie techniki [Man in the world of technology]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

5. Ellul, J. (1964). The technological society (J. Wilkinson, Trans.). New York: Vintage Books. (Original work published 1954)

6. European Commission. (2020). A European Green Deal: Striving to be the first climate-neutral continent. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en

7. Ekiert, G., & Kubik, J. (1999). Rebellious civil society: Popular protest and democratic consolidation in Poland, 1989–1993. University of Michigan Press.

8. Feenberg, A. (2002). Transforming technology: A critical theory revisited. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

9. Feynman, R. P. (1960). There's plenty of room at the bottom. Engineering and Science, 23(5), 22–36.

10. Floridi, L. (2018). The ethics of information. Oxford University Press.

11. Freedom House. (2021). Freedom on the Net 2021: The global drive to control big tech. https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2021/global-drive-control-big-tech

12. Fryckowski, E. (1997). Filozoficzno-etyczne aspekty rozwoju techniki. Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Pedagogicznej w Bydgoszczy. Studia Techniczne. 1997, Z. 19, s. 13-27.

13. Gaukroger, S. (2006). The emergence of a scientific culture: Science and the shaping of modernity 1210–1685. Oxford University Press.

14. Gehlen, A. (1988). Man: His nature and place in the world (C. McMillan & K. Pillemer, Trans.). New York: Columbia University Press. (Original work published 1940)

15. Grabbe, H. (2006). The EU’s transformative power: Europeanization through conditionality in Central and Eastern Europe. Palgrave Macmillan.

16. Heidegger, M. (1977). The question concerning technology and other essays (W. Lovitt, Trans.). New York: Harper & Row.

17. Jasanoff, S. (2003). Technologies of humility: Citizen participation in governing science. Minerva, 41(3), 223–244. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025557512320

18. Jasanoff, S. (2005). Designs on nature: Science and democracy in Europe and the United States. Princeton University Press.

19. Jonas, H. (1984). The imperative of responsibility: In search of an ethics for the technological age (H. Jonas & D. Herr, Trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1979)

20. Landes, D. S. (2003). The unbound Prometheus: Technological change and industrial development in Western Europe from 1750 to the present (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

21. Latour, B. (1993). We have never been modern (C. Porter, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

22. Mitcham, C. (1994). Thinking through technology: The path between engineering and philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

23. Mokyr, J. (1990). The lever of riches: Technological creativity and economic progress. Oxford University Press.

24. Mumford, L. (1934). Technics and civilization. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

25. Nye, J. S. (2010). Cyber power. Harvard University Press.

26. Owen, R., Macnaghten, P., & Stilgoe, J. (2012). Responsible research and innovation: From science in society to science for society, with society. Science and Public Policy, 39(6), 751–760. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scs093

27. Shapin, S. (1996). The scientific revolution. University of Chicago Press.

28. Stilgoe, J., Owen, R., & Macnaghten, P. (2013). Developing a framework for responsible innovation. Research Policy, 42(9), 1568–1580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008

29. Suchodolski, B. (1980). Philosophy of science and technology in education. Warsaw: PWN Publishing.

30. UNESCO. (2010). Engineering: Issues, challenges and opportunities for development. UNESCO Publishing.

31. Winner, L. (1986). The whale and the reactor: A search for limits in an age of high technology. University of Chicago Press.

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

The moral compass of innovation: philosophical and ethical reflections on technology. (2025). Scientific Journal of Safety and Logistics, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15778128

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >> 

Similar Articles

1-10 of 27

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.