Senior citizens and the ethics of e-inclusion |
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Authors: | Emilio Mordini David Wright Kush Wadhwa Paul De Hert Eugenio Mantovani Jesper Thestrup Guido Van Steendam Antonio D’Amico Ira Vater |
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Institution: | (1) Methods of Social Research, Faculty of Economics, Law and Social Sciences, University of Erfurt, Nordhauserstr. 63, 99089 Erfurt, Germany;(2) Institute of Gerontology and Center for Research on Aging, University of Vechta, Driverstr. 23, 49377 Vechta, Germany |
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Abstract: | The ageing society poses significant challenges to Europe’s economy and society. In coming to grips with these issues, we
must be aware of their ethical dimensions. Values are the heart of the European Union, as Article 1a of the Lisbon Treaty
makes clear: “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity…”. The notion of Europe as a community of values
has various important implications, including the development of inclusion policies. A special case of exclusion concerns
the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology and those without access to it, the
“digital divide”, which in Europe is chiefly age-related. Policies to overcome the digital divide and, more generally speaking,
e-inclusion policies addressing the ageing population raise some ethical problems. Among younger senior citizens, say those
between 65 and 80 years old, the main issues are likely to be universal access to ICT and e-participation. Among the older
senior citizens, say those more than 80 years old, the main issues are mental and physical deterioration and assistive technology.
An approach geared towards the protection of human rights could match the different needs of senior citizens and provide concrete
guidance to evaluate information technologies for them. |
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