Summary |
Given its popularity in contemporary philosophy, it is not surprising that autonomy is discussed often in applied ethics. Many believe that in medical ethics, for one example, doctors and other medical practitioners must always protect and respect their patient's autonomy. Others insist that patients can't really have (very much) autonomy in a medical setting since the power and knowledge difference between they and the practitioners is so extensive. Given these sorts of thoughts, it is not only Kantian applied ethicists that show concern with this central value. Moreover, it is not only in medical ethics, but also in legal ethics, military ethics, and elsewhere that the value is important. Interestingly, it is now also a moral issue whether robots can be autonomous in any sense that matters for their ethical use. (We already use robots that are "autonomous" in the weak sense that they can perform their programmed events without anyone commanding then, once they are turned on.) |