Title
Retribution gaps beyond AI
Abstract
The concept of retribution gaps refers to situations in which harmful events trigger retributive intuitions, yet no agent appears to be an appropriate target. Previous research has predominantly examined this problem in the context of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI). This paper argues that retribution gaps are not exclusive to AI but may also emerge in the context of natural disasters. Building on a weak conception of the retribution gap, the analysis rejects autonomy as the decisive explanatory factor. Instead, it identifies human traceability as the key condition for retributive intuitions. Thus, natural disasters that are causally traceable to human activity through climate change may likewise create retribution gaps. These findings broaden the scope of the debate on retribution gaps and deepen its philosophical relevance.
About René
René is a research assistant at Forschungszentrum Jülich working on the BMBF project BRAINTREE which delves into the ethical considerations of brain age prediction. His interests also include discrimination, theories of punishment and critical theory, particularly Herbert Marcuse.