The return of the good in the age of AI : relational selfhood, digital commons, and the ethics of planetary democracy / Mark Olssen (professor of political theory and higher education policy, Department of Politics, School of Social Sciences, University of Surrey, UK).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Olssen, Mark, author.

Contributor:

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

The age of AI

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Artificial intelligence--Moral and ethical aspects.

Artificial intelligence.

Common good--Political aspects.

Common good.

Democracy--Philosophy.

Democracy.

Political ethics.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 pages)

Place of Publication:

Northampton : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026.

Summary:

"In an era marked by technological acceleration, planetary fragility and democratic uncertainty, can the idea of 'the Good' be reclaimed without reviving the metaphysical teleologies of the past? Mark Olssen reconstructs 'the Good' as a post-teleological and relational concept grounded not in fixed ends but in the shared conditions that enable life, agency and collective judgment to endure over time. Drawing on political theory, public choice, complexity thinking and contemporary debates on artificial intelligence, the book argues that 'the Good' lies in sustaining the ecological, institutional, epistemic and educational infrastructures that make freedom and meaning possible within an interdependent world. Moving across democracy, ethics, education, water governance and digital transformation, Olssen deepens and extends his theory of continuance ethics, showing how responsibility can be understood in terms of preserving the conditions for future agency rather than conforming to a singular vision of the good life. Against both foundational moralism and relativistic fragmentation, The Return of the Good in the Age of AI offers a distinctive normative vocabulary for governing under conditions of uncertainty, complexity and technological power. It will be essential reading for scholars and advanced students of political theory, public policy, philosophy, education, sociology and economics seeking to rethink ethics and democracy in a planetary and digital age"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Contents: 1. The demise of the classical worldview

2. Twentieth-century liberal alternatives to the good

3. Arguing for the public good

4. The complexity turn: Systems, uncertainty, and the good

5. Will, purpose, and the emergent good

6. Democracy as a global good

7. Chatgpt and the good - ai, relational selfhood, and the emergent ethics of the collective

8. Water as a global good: Ethics, ecology, and the politics of care

9. Education and the planetary good

10. Conclusion: The good of life continuance - unity, constraint, and freedom.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print record.

ISBN:

9781035320707 (e-book)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.