preview

Visible M Ethics And A World Without Secrets

Good Essays
Open Document

With new technology rolling out onto the market seemingly everyday, the privacy of many is disappearing and has even become nonexistent. With many scandals over the past few years, government agencies have been accused of using these new communication resources as means to keep a watchful eye over their citizens. This is the very topic discussed by Peter Singer in his essay “Visible Man: Ethics in a World without Secrets”. Singer discusses the benefits and pitfalls that have come from these communication innovations, going in depth on the tactics and resources used by civilians as well as governments to keep track of each other. Singer presents strong premises that argue for the conservation of the individual privacy rights while also arguing for governments to become more transparent, creating an overall controversial element to his essay, as he is only half invested in transparency as a whole between civilians and the body that governs them, that comes off as somewhat unconvincing as the two arguments contradict each other. Singer’s premise that educated and ethical citizens are the solution to a repressive government is a strong, yet controversial claim. However, I believe that the reality of this statement relies on human nature, something that can be unpredictable. Many governments have covered up their actions in order to blind the public to the corruption and evil that has taken part in, as well as to retain their power over their people. Singer argues that a

Get Access