OZSW Summer School on 'The Ethics of Influence'

Is the use of manipulative tactics ethically acceptable in influencing people, perhaps to help them improve their lifestyles or adopt more sustainable behaviour? How do we demarcate manipulative influence from other types of social influence like persuasion and coercion? To what extend do new technological developments affect the answers to those questions? Questions revolving around the ethics of influence are gaining prominence in contemporary academic, regulatory, and public discourse. The increased awareness of the ethical implications of manipulation in areas such as AI-driven mass influence (think of generative AI, deepfakes, and social bots), behaviour change technologies in fields such as health, and political communication has prompted renewed interest in these questions. This summer school is dedicated to examining these questions from the standpoint of moral and political philosophy, particularly focusing on the ethics of influence. Participants will explore how various ethical frameworks can be applied to demarcate manipulation from other types of social influence and assess its ethical dimensions within key contexts, including AI and health. Additionally, the program aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together insights from the behavioural science and technology with philosophical reflection.

Aim / objective

• To gain a deeper understanding of different types of social influence, such as manipulation, coercion, persuasion, and deception, and their ethical ramifications
• To learn to apply current normative ethical theories to analyse and evaluate behavioural change techniques
• To reflect on how philosophers, social scientists, empirical researchers, and technologists can fruitfully work together on developing better interventions.
• To learn how to present your research in pitches and in writing.
• To meet other PhDs and experts in the field of ethics of influence.

Please refer to the event website for further details, and the registration link. Kindly contact Michael Klenk - [email protected] - for content-related inquiries.