Software is the basic element of digitalization. (Kurzweil, 2012) It is my intent with this work to take a sober look at software as a basic component of digitalization and to expose it to criticism relating to a possible influence on human freedom of decision-making and autonomy. Are we bound to become creatures lacking willpower and being tied to algorithms, themselves only the precursors of a superior artificial intelligence that will dominate the world and subdue or terminate us? (Musk, 2016) While the critics’ warnings get louder and shriller, the proponents of an unrestrained digitalization unabatedly promise nothing less than a solution to the biggest problems of humanity. The critics gain momentum with statements by Silicon Valley icons like Elon Musk or the founder of Napster and Facebook’s former top-manager Sean Parker, who explains in an interview in early November 2017: „Facebook was designed to exploit human 'vulnerability'“ (Parker, 2017b) and „only God knows what Facebook does with the minds of our children“ (Parker, 2017a).

While until recently European managers and politicians were obligated to make the pilgrimage to Silicon Valley, in the environment of today warnings of the dominance of the internet giants and the presumed omnipotence of algorithms are hard to miss. Foer’s warning comes in the midst of a new wave of criticism aimed at digitalization. He writes: ‘Facebook would never put it this way, but algorithms are meant to erode free will, to relieve humans of the burden of choosing, to nudge them in the right direction.’ (Foer, 2017). In his book ‘World Without Mind’ which was published shortly before the completion of this work, Franklin Foer argues that the internet companies called the ‘Frightful Five’ undermined our free will and modified not just our behavior but also our thinking.

Franklin foer world without mind