ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the perceived imperative to use technological capacities for maximising ethically questionable outcomes, focusing on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and space exploitation. In warfare, LAWS promise speed and efficiency but risk deepening inequalities, allowing technologically advanced forces to avoid harm while opponents bear human costs. By removing humans from critical decisions, these systems can dehumanise conflict and detach killing from ethical responsibility. In space, ambitions for colonisation mirror historical colonial ideologies, treating extraterrestrial environments as resources for extraction while neglecting ethical considerations, and are demonstrated to be riddled with ethical issues. Moreover, such ventures risk perpetuating social inequities and only further exacerbate ongoing problems that space colonialism is said to help avoid (e.g., climate change). Both domains reflect a mindset where technological capability becomes a mandate for action, turning ‘can’ into ‘must’ and sidelining moral deliberation. The chapter challenges this deterministic narrative, emphasising the need to recognise and address the ethical crossroads before pursuing technological paths that could further contribute to inequality and injustice.
