Chivalrous Combatants?

The debate on remote-controlled and so-called autonomous military robotics has also led to new inquiries into the ethos of soldiers. Should soldiers take risks which technological means could easily help them to avoid? Will the deployment of drones and autonomous weapons systems lead to the demise of military virtues? How much technological asymmetry is acceptable in a battle? Is there a need for a new ethos of chivalry among soldiers? In selected papers, this book endeavors to trace the traditional fundamental ideas of chivalry and military virtues, such as courage. It also addresses the question of the ethical significance of such soldierly attributes in conflicts today.

With contributions by
Nigel Biggar, Torsten Meireis, Alexander Merkl, Jörn Müller, Peter Olsthoorn, Gregory M. Reichberg, Niklas Schörnig and Malcolm Vale.