Classical Liberalism, Discrimination, and the Problem of Autonomous Cars

In response to potential future legislation which would allow only autonomous cars on the road, the author develops an argument stating that such a law would conflict with the principles of classical liberalism. He considers the condition where, when the car must choose between running over a young person, an old person, or both, it is programmed to run over the old person. Under these assumptions, the law mandating autonomous cars violates the classical liberal value that all individuals must be treated equally under the law. The author advises that society should ensure that laws put into place as technology advances should remain consistent with its highest values of equality and liberty. He also notes that autonomous cars can be programmed to make decisions based on current inherent human biases or based on random choices. Both of these options present difficult problems which require further argument and analysis.

• Record URL:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11948-019-00155-7
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13533452
• Authors:
  • Gentzel, Michael
  • 0000-0002-3825-2743
• Publication Date: 2020-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 931-946
• Serial:
  • Science and Engineering Ethics
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Springer Publishing
  • ISSN: 1353-3452
  • EISSN: 1471-5546
  • Serial URL: http://www.springerlink.com/content/1353-3452/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Discrimination; Ethics; Highway safety; Laws; Philosophy
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01786111
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 26 2021 2:25PM