A Contrarian's View: New Wine in Old Bottles, New Economy and Old Ethics-Can it Work?

Abstract

While the view that new technology, new ways of doing business and new avenues of communication require new ethical standards is a commonly accepted one, a closer look at the nature of these new developments in juxtaposition with history demonstrates that the notion of new ethics for new eras has been tried in other social and cultural revolutions. History teaches that old standards are easily applied to new technologies. While the expediency of evolving ethics is tempting, adherence to such a fluid standard limits progress because the activity of change is not grounded in values. We have been here before and can simply put this new technology into an old framework of values and still enjoy progress, but with the peace of virtue.