Emotions-an ethical approach to emotions in human-machine interaction

Definition of the problem The discourse about affective and social robotics in the realm of nursing can actually be regarded as an expression of technological solutionism rather than an accurate description of nursing reality. From an ethical perspective, it is therefore less urgent to answer questions about an ethical evaluation of already implemented robots. Arguments Instead of reacting to the circulating visions, it is necessary to analyze the role robots are attributed in these visions and to expound the normative aspects, which should be taken into consideration in the construction process. Therefore, the article proposes elements of an ethical and anthropological realm of reflection, naming crucial aspects to be taken into further consideration before or during the construction and implementation process. In order to enable sound ethical evaluation, a five-dimensional heuristic (emotion, interaction, context, agent, actant) is proposed allowing an informed analysis of the situation and the proposed human-machine interaction by structuring the reflection. Conclusion Based on this kind of empirically informed description, implementable technical solutions can be constructed or already constructed robots can be evaluated ethically.