Who Cares About Values?

Abstract

Today it is common to hear about “human values” and the importance of designing technologies that “align” with our values. But where does this notion of “human values” come from? In this talk I trace the history of the concept of “human values.” I connect this notion with an evolution in our understanding of human autonomy, and argue that both are inadequate abstractions for the challenges of being human in our technological age. Finally, I introduce the notion of care as an alternative to “values,” showing how it furnishes a subtler map for imagining and shaping our relationship to technology today.