Book part:
Robotisation as Rationalisation – In Search for a Human Robot Future

Author(s): van Est, RinieRoyakkers, Lambèr

Abstract

This essay sees robotisation as a form of rationalisation. Driven by the belief in rationality and efficiency we have redesigned factories, offices and kitchens. Nowadays rationalisation touches every intimate aspect of our lives, from caring for the elderly to sex. Robots may contribute to this. Rationalisation is a double-edged phenomenon: besides benefits, it may reduce the freedom of people and lead to dehumanisation. The authors claim that robots can act as both humanising and dehumanising systems. They stress that even apparently typically human trades like face-toface and skin-to-skin intimacy can eventually be lost to technology. Exactly because robots can have a profound effect on our humanity, we are in need of common moral principles and criteria for orienting ourselves into the robot future.

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BibTex
van Est, Rinie; Royakkers, Lambèr: Robotisation as Rationalisation – In Search for a Human Robot Future. In: Janssens, Liisa: The Art of Ethics in the Information Society. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press 2016, S. 44-48. DOI: 10.25969/mediarep/13393.
@INCOLLECTION{van Est2016,
 author = {van Est, Rinie and Royakkers, Lambèr},
 title = {Robotisation as Rationalisation – In Search for a Human Robot Future},
 year = 2016,
 doi = {10.25969/mediarep/13393},
 editor = {Janssens, Liisa},
 address = {Amsterdam},
 booktitle = {The Art of Ethics in the Information Society},
 pages = {44--48},
 publisher = {Amsterdam University Press},
}
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