The Ethics of Developing Super Soldiers

Soldiers of the future may be biologically or technologically enhanced — but at what cost? Reuters: Ho New

Adam Henschke, The Conversation: Stronger, faster and more deadly: The ethics of developing supersoldiers

Enhancing a soldier's capacity to fight is nothing new.

Arguably one of the first forms of enhancement was through improving their diet. The phrase "an army marches on its stomach" goes back at least to Napoleon, and speaks to the belief that being well fed enhances the soldier's chances of winning a battle.

But recent research has gone well beyond diet to enhance the capabilities of soldiers, like purposefully altering the structure and function of soldiers' digestive system to enable them to digest cellulose, meaning they can use grass as a food.

Perhaps their cognitive capabilities could be substantially altered so they can make more rapid decisions during conflict.

Or their sensitivity to pain could be diminished, or even the severity and likelihood of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reduced.

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WNU Editor: We are still far away from developing such soldiers .... but it looks like the conversation is now beginning.