The Specter of Utility and the Iron Cage of Algorithm:Three Ethical Paradoxes of Technological Utilitarianism

doi:10.13438/j.cnki.jdxb.2026.02.012

Abstract

Abstract:

Algorithms,characterized by digital reductionism and result-oriented technicality,have converged with the utilitarian imperative of "maximizing utility" under the impetus of capital logic,forging an algorithmic "iron cage" rooted in technological utilitarianism.This synergy inherently intensifies three ethical paradoxes in practice,thereby subverting the core value commitments of technological utilitarianism itself.First,while purporting to liberate humanity from tedious labor,it corrosively alienates human values,human life,and human rationality.Second,while seeking to eliminate uncertainties inherent in human moral deliberation through ostensibly reliable processes,it concurrently erodes the very locus of moral accountability.Third,in employing disciplinary power to ostensibly elevate collective welfare,it instead perpetuates structural social injustice.These paradoxes not only expose the internal tensions within the ethical framework of technological utilitarianism but also highlight the fundamental contradiction between its utility-first principle and the comprehensive development of human beings.Given the pervasive application and profound influence of algorithmic technology in contemporary society,it is imperative to fundamentally scrutinize and reconstruct its underlying ethical logic.Only by supplementing the technological-utilitarian stance with pluralistic ethical principles can the algorithmic iron cage be truly dismantled.

Key words:

utility, algorithms, technological utilitarianism, ethical paradoxes

YANG Hua. The Specter of Utility and the Iron Cage of Algorithm:Three Ethical Paradoxes of Technological Utilitarianism[J]. Journal of Jishou University(Social Sciences Edition), 2026, 47(2): 106-115.

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