Boxing: Think outside
The rules of the sport of boxing change from time to time. But in most cases, each participant in the match is a human being and still needs to be alive. (Exceptions appear from time to time; kangaroos are typical of heavyweights.)
Joseph Lee of Australia’s Flinders University sought a way to extend boxing’s strict tradition. He outlines his ideas in his research published in his journal ethics and philosophy called Thinking outside the ring of concussive punches: Rethinking boxing.
Lee conducts a thought experiment. He “imagines a battle between humans and robots.” This imagination, he writes, produces reality.
“Demand for robot-human boxing may or may not arise. Certainly, the supply of robot boxing opponents is theoretically feasible,” he writes. “With the right programming, competition with machines of the future could be as bold as: [a matador] You are facing a bull.”
According to him, the main advantages are obvious. “The essential elements of boxing are preserved for humans, and fewer live opponents will result in an overall reduction in boxing-related brain injuries.”
Source: www.newscientist.com
