Rushworth M. Kidder

Rushworth M. Kidder is president of the Institute for Global Ethics, a research and educational organization in Camden, Maine, and author of Reinventing the Future: Global Goals for the Twenty-First Century. In the following viewpoint, Kidder argues that society is developing new technologies without consideration of their moral and ethical consequences. Kidder criticizes the educational system for teaching about technology without discussing these consequences. Ethics and values, though, can change for the better in the future, the author contends. Kidder concludes that since important changes in society are preceded by changes in values, shifts in ethics and values must be studied now.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was the real reason for the Chernobyl disaster, according to Kidder?
2. Why does Kidder believe the Human Genome Project will create serious...