moral consideration
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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shogo Ikari ◽  
Kosuke Sato ◽  
Emily Burdett ◽  
Hiroshi Ishiguro ◽  
Jonathan Jong ◽  
...  

Researchers have speculated that religious traditions influence an individual's moral attitude and care toward robots. They propose that differences in moral care could be explained by values motivated by religion, anthropocentrism and animism. Here, we empirically examined how moral care for robots is influenced by religious belief and attendance with US and Japanese samples, cultures that are Abrahamic and Shinto-Buddhist traditions respectively (N = 3781). Moral care was higher in Japan and participants with higher religious beliefs had less moral care for robots only in the US. Further, participants who scored low on anthropocentrism and high on animism were more likely to attribute moral care for robots. Anthropocentrism in the US and Animism in Japan had a larger effect compared to the other country. The finding demonstrates how religion could influence moral attitudes for robots, and might suggest the realm of moral consideration could be shaped by cultural traditions.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Santiago Quick

This paper discusses the ethical nature of empathetic and sympathetic engagement with social robots, ultimately arguing that an entity which is engaged with through empathy or sympathy is engaged with as an “experiencing Other” and is as such due at least “minimal” moral consideration. Additionally, it is argued that extant HRI research often fails to recognize the complexity of empathy and sympathy, such that the two concepts are frequently treated as synonymous. The arguments for these claims occur in two steps. First, it is argued that there are at least three understandings of empathy, such that particular care is needed when researching “empathy” in human-robot interactions. The phenomenological approach to empathy—perhaps the least utilized of the three discussed understandings—is the approach with the most direct implications for moral standing. Furthermore, because “empathy” and “sympathy” are often conflated, a novel account of sympathy which makes clear the difference between the two concepts is presented, and the importance for these distinctions is argued for. In the second step, the phenomenological insights presented before regarding the nature of empathy are applied to the problem of robot moral standing to argue that empathetic and sympathetic engagement with an entity constitute an ethical engagement with it. The paper concludes by offering several potential research questions that result from the phenomenological analysis of empathy in human-robot interactions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 147-168
Author(s):  
Thaddeus Metz

This chapter begins Part III, which argues that the relational moral theory of rightness as friendliness is a strong competitor to Western principles in many applied ethical contexts. Chapter 8 articulates and defends a novel, relational account of moral status, according to which an entity is owed moral consideration roughly to the degree that it is capable of being party to a communal relationship. One of its implications is that many animals have a moral status but not one as high as ours, which many readers will find attractive, but which utilitarianism and Kantianism cannot easily accommodate. Relational moral status also grounds a promising response to the ‘argument from marginal cases’ that animals have the same moral status as incapacitated humans: even if two beings have identical intrinsic properties, they can differ in the extent to which they can relate and hence differ in their degree of moral status.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Pauketat

We consider the terminology used to describe artificial entities and how this terminology may affect the moral consideration of artificial entities. Different combinations of terms variously emphasize the entity's role, material features, psychological features, and different research perspectives. The ideal term may vary across context, but we favor “artificial sentience” in general, in part because “artificial” is more common in relevant contexts than its near-synonyms, such as “synthetic” and “digital,” and to emphasize the sentient artificial entities who deserve moral consideration. The terms used to define and refer to these entities often take a human perspective by focusing on the benefits and drawbacks to humans. Evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of the terminology to the moral consideration of artificial entities may help to clarify emerging research, improve its impact, and align the interests of sentient artificial entities with the study of artificial intelligence (AI), especially research on AI ethics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katinka J. P. Quintelier ◽  
Joeri van Hugten ◽  
Bidhan L. Parmar ◽  
Inge M. Brokerhof

Can business humanize its stakeholders? And if so, how does this relate to moral consideration for stakeholders? In this paper we compare two business orientations that are relevant for current business theory and practice: a stakeholder orientation and a profit orientation. We empirically investigate the causal relationships between business orientation, humanization, and moral consideration. We report the results of six experiments, making use of different operationalizations of a stakeholder and profit orientation, different stakeholders (employees, suppliers, labor unions), and different participant samples. Our findings support the prediction that individual stakeholders observing a stakeholder-oriented firm see the firm’s other stakeholders as more human than individual stakeholders observing a profit-oriented firm. This humanization, in turn, increases individual stakeholders’ moral consideration for the firm’s other stakeholders. Our findings underscore the importance of humanization for stakeholders’ moral consideration for each other. This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the firm as a moral community of stakeholders. Specifically, we move away from a focus on managers, and how they can make business more moral. Instead we direct attention to (other) stakeholders, and how business can make these stakeholders more moral.


2021 ◽  
pp. 123-138
Author(s):  
Udo Schuklenk

‘Moral status’ is simply a convenient label for ‘is owed moral consideration of a kind’. This chapter argues that we should abandon it and instead focus on the question of what kinds of dispositional capabilities, species memberships, relationships etc., constitute ethically defensible criteria that justifiably trigger particular kinds of moral obligations. Chimeras, human brain organoids, and artificial intelligence do not pose new challenges. Existing conceptual frameworks, and the criteria for moral consideration that they trigger (species membership, sentientism, personhood) are still defensible and applicable. The challenge at hand is arguably an empirical challenge that philosophers and ethicists qua philosophers and ethicists are ill equipped to handle. The challenge that needs addressing is essentially whether a self-learning AI machine, that responds exactly in the same way to a particular event as a person or sentient being would, should be treated as if it was such a person or sentient being, despite doubts about its de facto lack of dispositional capabilities that would normally give rise to such responses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Harris ◽  
Jacy Reese Anthis

AbstractEthicists, policy-makers, and the general public have questioned whether artificial entities such as robots warrant rights or other forms of moral consideration. There is little synthesis of the research on this topic so far. We identify 294 relevant research or discussion items in our literature review of this topic. There is widespread agreement among scholars that some artificial entities could warrant moral consideration in the future, if not also the present. The reasoning varies, such as concern for the effects on artificial entities and concern for the effects on human society. Beyond the conventional consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethicist ethical frameworks, some scholars encourage “information ethics” and “social-relational” approaches, though there are opportunities for more in-depth ethical research on the nuances of moral consideration of artificial entities. There is limited relevant empirical data collection, primarily in a few psychological studies on current moral and social attitudes of humans towards robots and other artificial entities. This suggests an important gap for psychological, sociological, economic, and organizational research on how artificial entities will be integrated into society and the factors that will determine how the interests of artificial entities are considered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Henry ◽  
Vincent Chow ◽  
Nadine Grinberg

A new study examines the available literature on the moral consideration ofanimals in ChinaChina has a huge land mass and the largest human population. It’s home to a vast wildanimal population and is among the largest users of animals globally. For thesereasons, attitudes and policies towards nonhuman attitudes have a large and growingimpact both domestically and internationally. There is little animal advocacy in Chinaand it's essential to research ways to incorporate concern for wild animal suffering asthe movement develops.The objectives, methods, and limitations of this studyA recent literature review examined the current attitudes and legal protection ofnonhuman animals in China. Its purpose is to help animal advocates understand howto effectively expand animal advocacy in the country, with a particular focus on wildanimals. The study, “A literature review of the current consideration of animals inChina,” was conducted by Courtney Henry, Vincent Ya-Shun Chow, and NadineGrinberg, in partnership with Animal Ethics.There is useful work about about animal protection in China and about China’s legal,social, and cultural perspectives on animals but to our knowledge there has not been asystematic review of the literature related to animal advocacy in China, particularlyliterature relevant to wild animals. One limitation of this study is that there is littleliterature relating to how organizations can effectively advocate for wild animals inChina.ResultsThe literature discusses both the plight of animals and perspectives on how it might beimproved. It covers animals in general, animals used for food, animals as companions,and animals living in the wild. The study did not find any literature that directlyaddresses wild animal suffering, though the authors did find discussion of somerelated issues. The literature reflects an increasing interest in the moral considerationof animals. Among academics, there is a rising growing debate about speciesist ideas .The literature indicates suggests how that arguments taken from Chinesephilosophical traditions, such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism can have moreimpact in this debate than the appeal to ideas used in Western philosophical schools.In addition, the review indicates that Chinese animal protection laws are limited, andoften not effectively enforced.Although there is little literature on animal advocacy in China, Although there hasbeen little animal advocacy in China, there has been some positive shifts in attitudesamong the Chinese public towards animals in general, animals used for food, andanimals kept as companions. Young people, educated people, and those who live withcompanion animals seem to be increasingly open to animal advocacy.However, the literature shows little awareness of wild animal suffering as a cause.Species conservation is commonly confused with the protection of wild animals asindividuals. There is not much interest in the wellbeing of individuals except for somecharismatic animals such as pandas.A discussion of the main resultsThe literature reflects growing concern about the moral consideration of animals inChina, and this concern may grow more rapidly in the future due to more favorableattitudes among younger and more educated people. Connecting this growing concernwith Chinese philosophical tradition could help to increase interest in this issue.Animal protection laws and policies are weak and it appears that people concernedabout the suffering of animals have not been able able to influence them. This is notunique to China; countries around the world have inadequate laws to protectnonhuman animals.A major impediment is the conflation of the idea of protecting animals as individualswith conservation of species. This problem is found around the world, and itis presentin China because there is so little discussion there of wild animal suffering. However,among the general public and policymakers, there is a great interest in charismaticanimals such as pandas, and this may provide an opportunity to introduce the conceptof wild animal suffering and the need for research in this area.Another important confusion is between the wellbeing of animals and their survival.This confusion could be reduced by interventions to reduce the suffering ofcharismatic animals such as pandas, interventions which may be well received by thepublic because of favorable attitudes towards these animals. An example would beinterventions to help pandas. Such interventions would require research focused onthe wellbeing of animals as individuals, and would stimulate further research on thetopic. Both favorable attitudes and research are critical to the success of efforts to helpwild animals.Using dogs for food is a controversial issue in China. Although there is no logicalreason to view dogs differently from other animals used for the same purpose,


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