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Dear Victor, Good question. The question is that of wisdom or phronesis, what is good or right to do. It seems to me that there is no positive reason that people avoid this inquiry, but rather that there is so much to consider in filling in evident gaps in the field. I see useful questions of phronesis and ethics in some work. I observe that list conversations float around puzzles and problems that people find most fascinating. I've puzzled over this myself, from time to time. One challenge in this kind of research is the entire range of inquiry distinguishing facts from values or -- as a possible alternate -- linking them. Ethics are normative. If we are to look deeper than the assertion of belief, addressing the problems of the ethical require deep, systematic inquiry. Perhaps the time has come for that inquiry. As with any kind of research, it requires someone with the interest, time, and passion to pursue it. That may also answer your question in part, as many of the people I observe doing serious research are struggling to answer questions they have worked with for years. There is also the problem of approach. So far, much of the writing I have seen on design ethics has been dense stuff, not always easy to read, and not always as intelligent as the writers imagine. I am not going to throw a match onto that haystack, so I won't criticize anyone. I'll simply say that some of the stuff I've seen is not especially readable. This does not encourage a wide conversation. There are nevertheless people doing good work on this, writing beautiful prose, and putting good ideas forward. Ezio Manzini is a case in point. Others approach the ethics of designed artifacts and their socio-cultural effects in a playful, provocative way. Anthony Dunne's work comes to mind. There's been good work on this in the close-by field of technology studies -- Patrice Flichy's work, for example, and his useful point that every technology is a social technology. One way to advance this conversation would be to bring forward some of the good work that has been done. Just a thought. Warm wishes, Ken Victor Margolin wrote: "Why don't researchers want to focus more on the world of design products, what it is and what it could be. We talk about cognition, emotion, form etc. but not enough about what makes a product good for the user or for the culture."