The Laws of Robots - Crimes, Contracts, and Torts

This book explores how the design, construction, and use of robotics technology may affect today's legal systems and, more particularly, matters of responsibility and agency in criminal law, contractual obligations, and torts. By distinguishing between the behaviour of robots as tools of human interaction, and robots as proper agents in the legal arena, jurists will have to address a new generation of "hard cases." General disagreement may concern immunity in criminal law ( e.g. , the employment of robot soldiers in battle), personal accountability for certain robots in contracts ( e.g. , robo-traders), much as clauses of strict liability and negligence-based responsibility in extra-contractual obligations ( e.g. , service robots in tort law). Since robots are here to stay, the aim of the law should be to wisely govern our mutual relationships.

List of contents

Table of Contants.- List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Introduction.- Chapter 1 - On Law, Philosophy and Technology.- Chapter 2 - Crimes.- Chapter 3 - Contracts.- Chapter 4 - Torts.- Chapter 5 - Law as Meta-Technology.- Conclusions.- References.

Summary

This book explores how the design, construction, and use of robotics technology may affect today’s legal systems and, more particularly, matters of responsibility and agency in criminal law, contractual obligations, and torts. By distinguishing between the behaviour of robots as tools of human interaction, and robots as proper agents in the legal arena, jurists will have to address a new generation of “hard cases.” General disagreement may concern immunity in criminal law (e.g., the employment of robot soldiers in battle), personal accountability for certain robots in contracts (e.g., robo-traders), much as clauses of strict liability and negligence-based responsibility in extra-contractual obligations (e.g., service robots in tort law). Since robots are here to stay, the aim of the law should be to wisely govern our mutual relationships.

Product details

• Authors: Ugo Pagallo
• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2015
• EAN: 9789400798045
• ISBN: 978-94-0-079804-5
• No. of pages: 200
• Dimensions: 155 mm x 15 mm x 230 mm
• Weight: 377 g
• Illustrations: XXV, 200 p.
• Series: Law, Governance and Technology Series; Law, Governance and Technology Series
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing; Social sciences, law, business > Law > General, dictionaries; B, Ethics, Law, Artificial Intelligence, Criminal Law, Ethics & moral philosophy, Civil Law, Law and Criminology, Law—Philosophy, Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History, Computers, Moral Philosophy and Applied Ethics, Legal aspects of IT, Legal Aspects of Computing, Private or civil law: general, Law and legislation, Systems of law: civil codes / civil law, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law, Criminal law: procedure & offences