Reimagining Technology Through Human Flourishing: A Capability-Based Perspective

In a world saturated by digital innovation, we often ask: is technology helping us live better lives, or simply live faster ones? A newly published book chapter by Professors Ian Rothmann, Japie Greeff, and Lance Bunt offers a compelling answer. Titled “Technology and Well-Being: Perspectives from the Capability Approach”, the chapter appears in the peer-reviewed volume Unlocking Sustainable Wellbeing in the Digital Age (Springer, 2025).

The authors argue that technology’s impact isn’t inherently good or bad—it depends on how well it enables people to live lives they value. Drawing on the Capability Approach (CA) developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, the chapter reframes our understanding of digital tools. Instead of focusing on output or efficiency, the CA foregrounds well-being, agency, and justice: do our technologies expand human potential, or constrain it?

From smartphones to AI systems, the chapter examines how digital technologies can either cultivate or corrode core work capabilities like autonomy, meaningful relationships, and lifelong learning. It warns that digital fatigue, technoference, and inequality must be actively addressed, but also offers hope. When designed with intention, digital tools can strengthen well-being, amplify inclusion, and support sustainable employability in rapidly changing work environments.

For organisations and policymakers, the chapter lays out practical frameworks to evaluate the ethical use of technology. Its call is clear: let’s not merely automate work—let’s humanise it. Let’s not merely measure productivity—let’s expand capabilities.

This chapter exemplifies the spirit of interdisciplinary research and ethical scholarship at NWU’s Optentia Research Unit. It reminds us that the future of technology should be designed with people—not just progress—in mind.