Manchester University Press
2 The moral obligation of soldier enhancement research
Abstract
While the prospects of super soldiers may sound frightening to many, capacity-increasing technologies in the military can be justifiable from a moral perspective, as they are a useful tool for insuring the duty of care that states owe to their soldiers. Secondly, the international rules of warfare also stipulate that soldiers have to refrain from committing certain actions on the battlefield, such as deliberately harming civilians and individuals who are no longer considered to be combatants. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts by the military to train its members to act in accordance with these rules, the psychological consequences that soldiers very often encounter on the battlefield create situations that will make them irresponsive to these moral norms. As this chapter shows, the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and, more recently, events in Iraq are good examples. There is a case that capacity-increasing technologies might prevent the appearance of these psychological problems and contribute positively to the respect for these moral rules of warfare. These two arguments contribute to strengthening the need to develop and use capacity-increasing technologies in the military from a moral perspective.
Abstract
While the prospects of super soldiers may sound frightening to many, capacity-increasing technologies in the military can be justifiable from a moral perspective, as they are a useful tool for insuring the duty of care that states owe to their soldiers. Secondly, the international rules of warfare also stipulate that soldiers have to refrain from committing certain actions on the battlefield, such as deliberately harming civilians and individuals who are no longer considered to be combatants. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts by the military to train its members to act in accordance with these rules, the psychological consequences that soldiers very often encounter on the battlefield create situations that will make them irresponsive to these moral norms. As this chapter shows, the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and, more recently, events in Iraq are good examples. There is a case that capacity-increasing technologies might prevent the appearance of these psychological problems and contribute positively to the respect for these moral rules of warfare. These two arguments contribute to strengthening the need to develop and use capacity-increasing technologies in the military from a moral perspective.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Conceptual clarifications 9
- 2 The moral obligation of soldier enhancement research 25
- 3 Military capacity-increasing technologies and their consequences 44
- 4 The ethics of developing capacity-increasing technologies 72
- 5 Permanent capacity-increasing technologies and the transhumanist danger 93
- Conclusion 112
- Index 118
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Introduction 1
- 1 Conceptual clarifications 9
- 2 The moral obligation of soldier enhancement research 25
- 3 Military capacity-increasing technologies and their consequences 44
- 4 The ethics of developing capacity-increasing technologies 72
- 5 Permanent capacity-increasing technologies and the transhumanist danger 93
- Conclusion 112
- Index 118
