Disconnected or Free: The Human Direction of The Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

In the first section of this article we explore some of the authors who approve or disapprove of the use of digital industry technologies and artificial intelligence, basing their observations on the consequences that this new industrial revolution has for the human person. In the second section, following some of the observations of the well-known Italian sociologist Pier Paolo Donati we question what is the real role of traditional ethics in the face of an instrumental system that is capable of directing social action on a massive scale. Finally, we consider that throughout history, when important instruments of production have emerged to the point of shaping an „industrial revolution”, warnings and teachings aimed at protecting the dignity and freedom of individuals have emerged. A good example of these teachings is the social doctrine of the Church, which has not yet pronounced itself on the digital industry or on artificial intelligence in a systematic way. Our thesis is that the magisterium has not pronounced itself on these fields, because the Church’s social teaching is awaiting the intellectual contribution of the Church’s lay faithful who are experts in these fields. in what do human suffering and flourishing consist, beyond the bio-physical level?