This paper has had the following theses: One can't be moral without choosing a particular moral s... more This paper has had the following theses: One can't be moral without choosing a particular moral style. A style is a specific balance of Type I and Type II risks of error. There are just four alternative moral patterns, defined in terms of beneficiaries. Sacrifice is the basic moral relation. A moral style is a balance of risks of error in choosing beneficiaries. The categorical imperative limits the range of styles that can be accepted as moral. One's moral style is not chosen by logic but by feelings, just as one chooses art.
While there are many issues to be raised in using lethal autonomous robotic weapons, we argue tha... more While there are many issues to be raised in using lethal autonomous robotic weapons, we argue that the most important question is: Should the decision to take a human life be relinquished to a machine? This question is often overlooked in favor of technical questions of sensor capability or operational questions of chain of command. We further argue that the answer must be "no" and offer three reasons for banning autonomous robots. 1) Such a robot treats a human as an object, instead of a person with inherent dignity. 2) A machine run by a program has no human emotions, no feelings about the seriousness of killing a human. 3) Using such a robot would be a violation of military honor. We therefore conclude that the use of an autonomous robot (not a remotely operated robot) in lethal operations should be banned for a first strike, but leave open the possibility of retaliatory or defensive use.
This paper has had the following theses: One can't be moral without choosing a particular moral s... more This paper has had the following theses: One can't be moral without choosing a particular moral style. A style is a specific balance of Type I and Type II risks of error. There are just four alternative moral patterns, defined in terms of beneficiaries. Sacrifice is the basic moral relation. A moral style is a balance of risks of error in choosing beneficiaries. The categorical imperative limits the range of styles that can be accepted as moral. One's moral style is not chosen by logic but by feelings, just as one chooses art.
While there are many issues to be raised in using lethal autonomous robotic weapons, we argue tha... more While there are many issues to be raised in using lethal autonomous robotic weapons, we argue that the most important question is: Should the decision to take a human life be relinquished to a machine? This question is often overlooked in favor of technical questions of sensor capability or operational questions of chain of command. We further argue that the answer must be "no" and offer three reasons for banning autonomous robots. 1) Such a robot treats a human as an object, instead of a person with inherent dignity. 2) A machine run by a program has no human emotions, no feelings about the seriousness of killing a human. 3) Using such a robot would be a violation of military honor. We therefore conclude that the use of an autonomous robot (not a remotely operated robot) in lethal operations should be banned for a first strike, but leave open the possibility of retaliatory or defensive use.
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Papers by Sidney Axinn