Wolfendale Jessica
Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, Department of Philosophy, University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia.
Am J Bioeth. 2008 Feb;8(2):28-38. doi: 10.1080/15265160802014969.
New scientific advances have created previously unheard of possibilities for enhancing combatants' performance. Future war fighters may be smarter, stronger, and braver than ever before. If these technologies are safe, is there any reason to reject their use? In this article, I argue that the use of enhancements is constrained by the importance of maintaining the moral responsibility of military personnel. This is crucial for two reasons: the military's ethical commitments require military personnel to be morally responsible agents, and moral responsibility is necessary for integrity and the moral emotions of guilt and remorse, both of which are important for moral growth and psychological well-being. Enhancements that undermined combatants' moral responsibility would therefore undermine the military's moral standing and would harm combatants' well-being. A genuine commitment to maintaining the military's ethical standards and the well-being of combatants therefore requires a careful analysis of performance-enhancing technologies before they are implemented.
新的科学进展为提升战斗人员的表现创造了前所未有的可能性。未来的战士可能比以往任何时候都更聪明、更强壮、更勇敢。如果这些技术是安全的,有什么理由拒绝使用它们呢?在本文中,我认为增强手段的使用受到维持军事人员道德责任这一重要性的限制。这一点至关重要,原因有二:军队的道德承诺要求军事人员成为有道德责任感的主体,而道德责任对于正直以及内疚和悔恨等道德情感而言是必要的,这两者对于道德成长和心理健康都很重要。因此,削弱战斗人员道德责任的增强手段会损害军队的道德地位,并会伤害战斗人员的福祉。所以,真正致力于维持军队的道德标准和战斗人员的福祉,就需要在实施性能增强技术之前对其进行仔细分析。