Should We Create Gods of War? Assessing the Ethical and Legal Posture of Soldier Enhancements

The creation and deployment of super soldiers raises serious ethical, legal, and technological questions for military researchers, private contractors, and most of all the soldiers charged with using their newfound powers responsibly. On Apr. 13, CERL, the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell hosted a panel on the ethical and legal posture of soldier enhancements featuring experts in U.S. strategic defense and preparedness, the development and ethical evaluation of novel neural devices designed to augment human performance and behavior, and public policy surrounding emerging weapons technologies.

The panelists were General (Ret.) James Cartwright, USMC; Dr. Laura Cabrera, Pennsylvania State University; and Dr. Paul Scharre, Center for New American Security. Dr. Nicholas Evans, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, moderated. Prof. Claire Finkelstein provided introductory remarks.