Content area

Abstract

Modern weapons of war have undergone precipitous technological change over the past generation and the future portends even greater advances. Of particular interest are so-called autonomous weapon systems (henceforth, AWS), that will someday purportedly have the ability to make life and death targeting decisions on their own. Many have strong moral intuitions against such weapons, and public concern over AWS is growing. A coalition of several non-governmental organizations, for example, has raised the alarm through their highly publicized Campaign to Stop Killer Robots in an effort to enact an international ban on fully autonomous weapons. Despite the strong and widespread sentiments against such weapons, however, proffered philosophical arguments against AWS are often found lacking in substance. This article propose sthat the prevalent moral aversion to AWS is supported by a pair of compelling objections.

Details

Title
Autonomous Machines, Moral Judgment, and Acting for the Right Reasons
Author
Purves, Duncan; Jenkins, Ryan; Strawser, Bradley J
Pages
851-872
Publication year
2015
Publication date
Aug 2015
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
ISSN
13862820
e-ISSN
15728447
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1700524757
Copyright
Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015