Crimes of Dispassion: Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Crimes of Dispassion : Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing. / Renic, Neil Christopher; Schwarz, Elke.

In: Ethics and International Affairs, Vol. 37, No. 3, 2023, p. 321-343.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Renic, NC & Schwarz, E 2023, 'Crimes of Dispassion: Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing', Ethics and International Affairs, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 321-343. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679423000291

APA

Renic, N. C., & Schwarz, E. (2023). Crimes of Dispassion: Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing. Ethics and International Affairs, 37(3), 321-343. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679423000291

Vancouver

Renic NC, Schwarz E. Crimes of Dispassion: Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing. Ethics and International Affairs. 2023;37(3):321-343. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679423000291

Author

Renic, Neil Christopher ; Schwarz, Elke. / Crimes of Dispassion : Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing. In: Ethics and International Affairs. 2023 ; Vol. 37, No. 3. pp. 321-343.

Bibtex

@article{2e95d1772cfa445fa095dcbde61acf64,
title = "Crimes of Dispassion: Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing",
abstract = "Systematic killing has long been associated with some of the darkest episodes in human history. Increasingly, however, it is framed as a desirable outcome in war, particularly in the context of military AI and lethal autonomy. Autonomous weapons systems, defenders argue, will surpass humans not only militarily but also morally, enabling a more precise and dispassionate mode of violence, free of the emotion and uncertainty that too often weaken compliance with the rules and standards of war. We contest this framing. Drawing on the history of systematic killing, we argue that lethal autonomous weapons systems reproduce, and in some cases intensify, the moral challenges of the past. Autonomous violence incentivizes a moral devaluation of those targeted and erodes the moral agency of those who kill. Both outcomes imperil essential restraints on the use of military force.",
author = "Renic, {Neil Christopher} and Elke Schwarz",
year = "2023",
doi = "10.1017/S0892679423000291",
language = "English",
volume = "37",
pages = "321--343",
journal = "Ethics and International Affairs",
issn = "0892-6794",
publisher = "Cambridge University Press",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Crimes of Dispassion

T2 - Autonomous Weapons and the Moral Challenge of Systematic Killing

AU - Renic, Neil Christopher

AU - Schwarz, Elke

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Systematic killing has long been associated with some of the darkest episodes in human history. Increasingly, however, it is framed as a desirable outcome in war, particularly in the context of military AI and lethal autonomy. Autonomous weapons systems, defenders argue, will surpass humans not only militarily but also morally, enabling a more precise and dispassionate mode of violence, free of the emotion and uncertainty that too often weaken compliance with the rules and standards of war. We contest this framing. Drawing on the history of systematic killing, we argue that lethal autonomous weapons systems reproduce, and in some cases intensify, the moral challenges of the past. Autonomous violence incentivizes a moral devaluation of those targeted and erodes the moral agency of those who kill. Both outcomes imperil essential restraints on the use of military force.

AB - Systematic killing has long been associated with some of the darkest episodes in human history. Increasingly, however, it is framed as a desirable outcome in war, particularly in the context of military AI and lethal autonomy. Autonomous weapons systems, defenders argue, will surpass humans not only militarily but also morally, enabling a more precise and dispassionate mode of violence, free of the emotion and uncertainty that too often weaken compliance with the rules and standards of war. We contest this framing. Drawing on the history of systematic killing, we argue that lethal autonomous weapons systems reproduce, and in some cases intensify, the moral challenges of the past. Autonomous violence incentivizes a moral devaluation of those targeted and erodes the moral agency of those who kill. Both outcomes imperil essential restraints on the use of military force.

U2 - 10.1017/S0892679423000291

DO - 10.1017/S0892679423000291

M3 - Journal article

VL - 37

SP - 321

EP - 343

JO - Ethics and International Affairs

JF - Ethics and International Affairs

SN - 0892-6794

IS - 3

ER -

ID: 376956460