Abstract
n this paper, I discuss the relevance of the African notion of ‘ubuntu’ or humanity to the on-going AWS debate. After tracing the notion of ubuntu back to the pre-colonial time in Zimbabwe and how it developed into a political and humanist philosophy, I discuss its relevance in international law by reference to the impact of its equivalent notion of humanity to international human rights, humanitarian and criminal law. I also note that scholars who argue for the exclusion of the notion of humanity from the AWS debate base the argument either on the idea that the notion is inadequately defined or that humanity as a notion is so vague to the extent that relying on it will have disastrous results. In response to this argument, I seek to define the term humanity and linking it to human dignity in a bid to show that the term is capable of meaning. After defining what ubuntu or humanity means as shaped by human dignity, I come to the conclusion that giving robots the power to decide who lives or dies is inconsistent with ubuntu and an affront to human dignity. I also emphasise that African states should more fully participate in the on-going debate on AWS and share their experience with the notion of ubuntu with the rest of the world.
Highlights
BackgroundThe development of unmanned systems that are remotely controlled and those with increased autonomy in their critical functions has been a worry to the international community for more than a decade now
It is noted that the African notion of ubuntu or humanity is relevant to the autonomous weapon systems (AWS) debate
They may be scholars who argue that notions of humanity and dignity are incapable of meaning or that there are too vague to be relied on their irrelevance
Summary
The development of unmanned systems that are remotely controlled and those with increased autonomy in their critical functions has been a worry to the international community for more than a decade now. The reason why sates are developing autonomous weapon systems is because these systems are technically faster, smarter and better than humans, but they offer a number of military advantages like force multiplication and tremendous capacity to do the dirty, dull, dangerous work thereby reducing risk to the lives of one’s own soldiers. Since these robots will not act out of malice, they can potentially save the lives of civilians. Military semi-autonomous robots are already in the employ of some states
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
