The Historical Development of Ethics of Emerging Technologies

This article traces the historical development of the ethics of emerging technologies. It argues that during the late 2000s and 2010s, the field of ethics of technology transformed from a fragmented, reactive, and methodologically underdeveloped discipline focused on mature technologies and lacking policy orientation into a more cohesive, proactive, methodologically sophisticated, and policy-focused field with a strong emphasis on emerging technologies. An agenda for this transition was set in Jim Moor’s seminal publication “Why We Need Better Ethics for Emerging Technologies”.