Inequality, social Cohesion and the post-pandemic acceleration of intelligent technology

Abstract

Epidemics and pandemic are not purely biological ills that can be adequately addressed medically. They are complex, relational calamities that reveal social, economic and political vulnerabilities and values conflicts and that can accelerate historical processes in often unpredictable ways. This paper examines and invites ethical reflection on potential synergies between emergency pandemic response measures and ongoing transformation resulting from the 4th Industrial Revolution, and how these synergies might affect social cohesion, particularly through commercial incursions on education and socialization processes.