A theory of the super soldier: The morality of capacity-increasing technologies in the military [Paperback]

Throughout history, states have tried to create the perfect combatant with superhuman physical and cognitive features that are akin to those of comic book superheroes. However, the current innovations have nothing to do with the ones from the past and their development goes beyond a simple technological perspective. On the contrary, they are raising the prospect of a human enhancement revolution that will change the ways with which future wars will be fought and may even profoundly alter the foundations upon which our modern societies are built on. This book, which discusses the full ethical implications of these new technologies, is a unique contribution for students and scholars who care about the morality of warfare.GBSuper soldiers are about to become the new actors in the battlefields of tomorrow. Armed with science fiction-esque equipment and drugs, they are about to make comic book and Hollywood superheroes a reality.Jean-Fran?ois Caron is Associate Professor of Political Science at Nazarbayev University

Throughout history, states have tried to create the perfect combatant, a solider with superhuman physical and cognitive features, akin to those of comic book superheroes. However, current innovation has little to do with past ideas of the ideal super-soldier, with the new tools of warfare going far beyond simple technological advancement. We are raising the prospect of a human enhancement revolution that will change the way war is fought and may profoundly alter the foundations upon which our modern societies are built. This book discusses the full ethical implications of these new technologies, and is a unique contribution to current debates on the morality of warfare.

When analyzed from an ethical viewpoint, the development and use of capacity-increasing technologies in the military is far more complex than it first appears, and should be considered a significant ethical dilemma. Enhancing soldiers capacities might be considered a moral obligationls–