Engineering and future social problems: The need for responsible development

In terms of good or bad use, base technology is arguably neutral, but artef acts and technology-based services usually are certainly designed with a pu rpose in mind, which is not normally neutral. We may use nuclear energy to power a city, or to blow it up. While human nature isn't changing, technolo gy is developing faster than ever. Many powerful future technologies are on the horizon that may be used to great advantage in improving our world or society, but some may have adverse effects and may be abused. We need to co nsider the potential costs before we can decide whether the obvious merits are worth it. This article is in two parts. The first considers some issues that are spec ific to particular technology developments, and the second considers the mo re human impacts of overall progress from the point of view of the seven de adly sins, simply because they cut to the core of human nature. This article does not aim to address any issue in depth, each one could fil l an article in its own right. Instead, it aims to provide a quick overview of what is coming in order to stimulate deeper analysis.