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Protecting the Common Good: Technology, Objectivity, and Privacy
Author(s) -
Nelson Lisa
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/1540-6210.62.s1.12
Subject(s) - rhetoric , acquiescence , objectivity (philosophy) , balance (ability) , democracy , political science , law , law and economics , internet privacy , sociology , computer science , epistemology , psychology , philosophy , linguistics , neuroscience , politics
The rhetoric of public policy after September 11 encourages us to believe that the preservation of freedom and the safety of the common good requires our universal acquiescence to technological invasions of privacy. The purpose of this article is simply to warn that the rhetoric of public policy solutions post–September 11 may be inconsistent with the philosophical and legal framework of American democracy. While serving as a solution today, this rhetoric may pose a devastating blow to the balance of individual privacy and common good that is essential to the preservation of freedom.