Kantian Ethics and the Attention Economy: Duty and Distraction

by Timothy Aylsworth, Clinton Castro

The problematic use of technologies like smartphones threatens our autonomy in a variety of ways, and critics have only begun to appreciate the vast scope of this problem. In the last decade, we have seen a flurry of books making “self-help” arguments about how we could live happier, more fulfilling lives if we were less addicted to our phones. But none of these authors see this issue as one involving a moral duty to protect our autonomy. In this book, Tim Aylsworth and Clinton Castro draw on the deep well of Kantian ethics to argue that we have moral duties, both to ourselves and to others, to protect our autonomy from the threat posed by the problematic use of technology. This is an open access book.

294 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2024

Reviews

[Tim Aylsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's pretty fair to say that I read this book... Read it many times, I reckon. Gonna have to give this one five stars. It's a real gem. Haidt's new book is just a poor man's Aylsworth/Castro. This is where it's at. Chapter 7 is the money chapter, but it's a real page turner from cover to cover. The book is available for free through Open Access. So check it out!