Drone Warfare Morally Reprehensible

http://whenprophecyfails.blogspot.com/2012/10/drone-warfare-morally-reprehensible.html

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Drone Warfare Morally Reprehensible
Real-Life Robots! is published by DK Readers. This book is in a series of readers marketed towards Boy Scouts of America, Boys' Life Series. Notice the Boy Scout emblem on the back of the cover.

 I first learned of the Three Laws of Robotics as written by Isaac Asimov in the 2004 film I, Robot.  They are also mentioned in the animated film Astro Boy, which gets watched a LOT at my house. Astro Boy Full Length Film on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B6c8_3PIN0. It's a great commentary on the battle between science and politics. The scientists want to use blue core energy for good. The evil politician wants to use it's unstable byproduct, red core energy, in a weapon. A very powerful theme considering Astro Boy has Japanese comic book origins dating back to 1952, and his original name meant "Mighty Atom."

Last week, when I read Asimov's laws in print, killer drones immediately came to mind.

So we read on, and eleven pages later, we see the "Sergeant Robot?" section. Military robots. Sure I can really get behind a robot diffusing a bomb or carrying supplies or injured soldiers, hell, spying on the enemy even, but shooting people and bombing civilians? Killer Drones are inhumane and desensitizing. Operators/Triggermen call kills "bug splats." This is BAD. This is wrong. We shouldn't groom young boys to have to do this.

Why is this any worse than a man in a plane dropping tons of bombs or bio-agents on people. You are okay with that? Because it cannot be psychologically good for him and for the people on the ground, hell on Earth.

Then a step further, if it is bad to make a robot hurt or kill a person, isn't it worse to make another person do the same? An organic killing automaton?

For shame.

~S




"This happened within the past 24 hours. American drone kills

Pakistani kids in North Waziristan."

10.12.12 via www.TrueReality.ORG






Three Laws of Robotics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics