Throughout history there has always been apprehension about new technologies. I believe that this is in large part due to mankind’s weakness for bureaucracy.

Presently there are numerous concerns relating to technological developments. It seems that many people feel that the advances over the past few years are too fast. Many people feel disconnected due to these advances.

This is an overreaction since there is nothing beyond the capabilities for those who are acquainted with the technology. For example, for many of us accounting software is beyond our capability. However, professional accountants are fully up to date with the various software providers through numerous training opportunities. This has nothing to do with ethics. It only has to do with expertise.

There are also movements that feel that technology is evil. Some technologies, such as cars, are generating emissions that have led to global weather conditions. This has led many organizations and governments to discuss the viability of getting rid of cars and airplanes in order to remove the pollution from these vehicles.

One of the problems with the idea of going back to the “good old days” is that cars were actually developed to overcome the pollution caused by horse-drawn vehicles. Horses had a habit of dropping “land mines” on the streets which made a great amount of pollution. Do we really want to return to this type of transportation? This is not an ethical issue but a reality.

There are times when new technologies outstrip the jobs, and this creates problems for employees who work in these businesses. It is easy to become sympathetic and come to the conclusion that the loss of these jobs is unethical. Let me assess this through personal experience:

When I was growing up in the Village of Markham in the 1950s, we would hear some older people condemn the “horseless carriages” and how useless it was to pave any roads. We just laughed at them. Later we found out that these people had been employed in their youth by a number of businesses that made among the best wagons in the world. All of these businesses in Markham thought that horseless carriages were a fad that would end after a short period of time. Of course, the fad eventually became the normal means of transportation. The new technology became the norm while riding on wagons became entertainment. None of us ever considered that horses would ever replace cars.

There are times when technology ends jobs because the improvements outstrip the previous benefits of the earlier way of doing things. This is part of how progress is made. As all entrepreneurs should know there are developments that benefit more people and improve their lives.

There are times when technology can denigrate people, which is unethical. There was a time when employees were described as hands, since this the only part of the person’s anatomy that was necessary to perform their tasks. There was no reason to use one’s brain, just turn your hand in order to fulfill your task.

Some people are fearful of the new developments that have come along in the past few years. When people are fearful, they simply consider that it must be unethical. This ‘unethical’ thinking is based upon philosophical ethical categories, rather than on scientific ethical categories.

Technologies are neither ethical nor unethical. It is the implementation methodology that determines whether the application of technologies is ethical or unethical.

Many young people are able to easily perform technological tasks without any problems. We need to appreciate the significant benefits that are provided by technology.

I found that my understanding of the Roman Amphitheatre was greatly enhanced when computer generated technology was utilized. The technology was able to show how the amphitheatre looked when it was operational. This is just one ethical application of technology.

Let us all consider positive methods of implementing technology.