Based on the “System Theory of Technology” and from the level of Action Theory, G. Ropohl points out the limit of Individual Ethics of Responsibility during the analysis of the procedure and sociality. He proposed to substitute individual responsibility with institution responsibility. This proposal opens a new prospect for the construction of Ethics of Technology. He tries to overcome controversy on Value Pluralism, put forward ethical criterions for technology decision to substitute “increasing good” with “avoiding evil”. In spite of certain merits, his negative utilitarian can not resolve fundamentally the value conflicts because of the ambiguity of technical consequences, the dissent and priorities of people’s feelings for the “evil”.
There is a relatively popular view that regards technological ethics as professional ethics and responsibility ethics of engineers. Although engineers must follow professional ethics relating to technical work and fulfill the corresponding social responsibilities of engineering technology, technological ethics is not an equivalence of professional ethics or responsibility ethics. Nevertheless, from the genetic point of view, there is historical, realistic and theoretical kinship among technological ethics, professional ethics and responsibility ethics of engineers. Technological ethics has to be related to professional ethics and responsibility ethics of engineers. These three aspects are neither independent nor inclusive. Instead, they overlap or cross one another. What is technological ethics then? The answer is that it should be comprehended the essence of technology in terms of the following aspects: the relationship between man and nature, and inter-human relationship forming during technological activities; the impartible natural and social properties of technology; as well as the exploitation of man’s intrinsic power using technology. Thus technological ethics that fit modern technology can be found and rebuilt within this modern social construction of complex technological system. So, we should establish technological ethics based on the theories of "technology for harmony" and "technology for social construction".
Modern high-tech is the basic research as applying research, since the difference between the both has become shorter, scientific research and technological application are much narrower to each other than it has been in the past.This character indicates that our traditional understanding of science and technology has already been obsolete. A re-evaluation of high-tech from ethical perspective is therefore required. The term ethics means here in very broad sense that all actions of mankind are decisions based on certain ethical principles and moral norms.
