Record STMT-WC1F214Advisory

Welcoming Robots into the Moral Circle: A Defence of Ethical Behaviourism

Position paper ProfessionalGlobaladopted

This academic paper presents and defends 'ethical behaviourism', a theory holding that robots can possess significant moral status if they are performatively equivalent to other entities that already hold such status. The author defends the theory against seven major objections and argues that the performative threshold for moral status may be crossed soon, or already has been. Finally, the paper considers implications for procreative duties toward robots, suggesting we may need to take a duty of 'procreative beneficence' toward them seriously.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

University of GalwayAcademic · IE

Lead issuer

SpringerIndustry

Publisher

Legal forceAdvisory

Under whose authorityProfessional

Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academics

This paper is for researchers, ethicists, and roboticists interested in the philosophical and moral standing of artificial intelligence.

Sectors

Research and science · ethics and robotics research

What the document contains

What's covered

The paper addresses the theoretical foundations of robot moral status, evaluates counterarguments to behavioral equivalence criteria, and explores the normative duties humans might owe to artificially intelligent entities.

What's missing

The document does not provide binding legal regulations, industry safety standards, or formal governance frameworks for deploying robotics.

Key takeaways

Ethical behaviourism posits that robots can have significant moral status if they are performatively equivalent to other entities possessing moral status.
The theory can be defended against seven standard objections.
Robots may soon cross—or may have already crossed—the performative threshold required for moral status.
Granting moral status to robots carries implications for our procreative duties towards them, potentially involving procreative beneficence.

Principles it states

Ethical behaviourism

Outline

· Abstract
· Introduction
· Ethical Behaviourism
· Defending Ethical Behaviourism from Objections
· Crossing the Performative Threshold
· Procreative Duties to Robots
· References

Issued20 June 2019

Length2,856 words

FormatNot recorded

Scopeglobal

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Accountability

0/5

Clear responsibility for AI outcomes

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Fairness

0/5

Non-discrimination and equitable treatment

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Human Dignity

1/5

Respect for the inherent worth of persons

this would allow the attacker to inflict massively scalable, unbounded suffering or indignity on the AI

Notes

screening score · 2026-10-24

Human Oversight

0/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Privacy

0/5

Protection of personal data and private life

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Transparency

0/5

Openness about how AI systems work and are used

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Enforcement

0/5

Consequences and compliance mechanisms with real force

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Impact Assessment

0/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

Abstract

screening score · 2026-10-24

Topics

Physical AI Governancecontext

robot_ethics moral_status ethical_behaviourism artificial_intelligence procreative_beneficence