By: Jason Gerber
There is no doubt that technology comes with ethical challenges. This conflict divides the whole into two groups. People making scientific discoveries just want to progress, while others believe there should be some ethical boundaries. One side only wants to push the scientific potential, while the other thinks we must draw a line.
Moral Ambiguity of a black ops Government project
A top secret government project aims to create a disposable military unit that they can send to war without concern. This way, their propaganda will allow the public to accept their methods of victory without involving any more human soldier’s deaths in war. But the world would argue that creating such a force by using living people as CPU’s for machine cyborgs is even worse.
In the story, there is a secondary of the wing of the military that uses the active soldiers who were officially declared dead while transferring their surviving minds into cyborg bodies. Such a technologically advanced is used to gain an advantage in a war they are losing against an enemy.
Ethical Dilemmas in Technological Warfare
Technological progress in warfare has always raised ethical questions. Throughout history, technology has been the sole reason for the increasing destructive power in war. Things such as planes, ships, bombs, and others are some examples of the might that technology created for war. Now, if the military creates android soldiers, they only repeat the cycle with even more disregard.
The scientists’ ambition and the military’s power hunger are going over the deep end. They are losing humanity for the sake of gaining more power or eliminating the guilt for continuing wars. They have put their humanity aside for their goals, and there is no telling how far they will go.
Arties Experience in the project
The main character, Artie, undergoes multiple psychological evaluations in the story. The aim was to determine his adaptability to the new artificial cyborg. They check every aspect of his mind to determine that he would survive the process and thrive in the machine. The military aims to turn Artie into the perfect prototype soldier to pave the way for more units.
As the experiment goes on, Artie learns the unsettling truth behind the scientific protocols. He learns about their shady recruitment process and unethical practices. Some of which involved his wife as well. Now, he finds himself mentally struggling to decide whether to expose the system for its wrongdoings. Or find a way to end the project.
Humanity vs. Technology in Warfare
Pitting android soldiers against humans in war can seem logical, but only if the aim is to conquer and destroy. For the sake of peace, the military can not choose this route because they are already overstepping human boundaries. Their approach is inhumane because sending android soldiers to war against other humans removes all the guilt of losing a human soldier. This approach eliminates empathy from the military hearts, leaving no place for a peaceful resolution.
On the other hand, the autonomous soldier can conclude that its creators are the real threat. Thus, it can turn against us, becoming a threat to our own survival. This means that in no way, shape or form creating android or autonomous soldiers is not an ethical practice. It breaks boundaries for our benefit only to achieve ambitions, not from the collective population.
Conclusion
Artie’s story in The Recesses of Darkness Anthology by Roger L. Schumacher shows that the creation of a cyborg army is something we as humans are not ready for. Our self-discipline for achieving ambition must keep pace with maintaining ethical boundaries. Before integrating technology into the human body, we must make more progress in ethical disciplines, such as empathy and compassion. Otherwise, we may only create a new threat to our survival or a manipulation method for commercial gains.
Artie’s story has much more to explore about the ethical depravity of android soldiers. Grab a copy of The Recesses of Darkness Anthology for this and other tales of the macabre from amazon.com. To keep up to date on what the author has upcoming, you can email him at authorrlschumacher@gmail.com
Published by: Martin De Juan
