Care Ethics, Philosophy of Technology, and Robots in Humanitarian Action

This chapter aims to embed the care ethics discourse within the philosophy of technology through an examination of an underexplored context in which both care and technology play a principal role: the humanitarian context. Through an analysis of two scenarios in which robots can be applied in humanitarian action, this chapter emphasizes what technological evaluations look like when the focus for evaluation is not the human condition, or an individual (their character traits or their ability to engage with the environment), or a technology, but is instead the ability to create or maintain a reciprocal relationship between caregiver and care receiver. In so doing, this chapter shows the value of discussing care in relation to the philosophy of technology, while also aiming to inspire more philosophical contributions on the application of robots in humanitarian action.