Technological Mediation of Ontologies: the Need for Tools to Help Designers in Materializing Ethics

Philosophers of technology such as Peter-Paul Verbeek have addressed the issue of the effects that concrete technologies have on the experience and existence of humans that use them. Drawing on his studies, in this article, the theory of technological mediation was applied to a particular type of technology: the ontologies used within the Semantic Web. Differing from other artefacts, the mediation effects of ontologies is realised indirectly through the applications that embody them as abstract schemas or meta-models. This phenomenon, called meta-mediation, was analysed from the point of view of all the stakeholders involved in the development and use of an ontology. A case study was used to exemplify how ontology differences may affect the way people perceive a web service. This analysis showed that ontology engineering is an inherently moral activity which needs adeguate tools and methodologies to support a more mediation aware approach to design of products and services. Some proposal aimed at this goal have been discussed as well.

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