Ethics and the Threat to Infrastructure

The study discusses the essential aspects of ethics and the threat to infrastructure. The threat and thus possible destruction of infrastructure can be made by different causers, such as friendly forces actors, internationally organized actors, non-state actors, state-backed actors, and state-military actors, as well as means and methods. Depending on the means available to the causers, a threat or destruction can be by mechanical, kinetic, chemical, biological, nuclear, hybrid, data-based, or AI-based. This is an intrusion into the quality of life or existence of people or societies. It affects material resources but can also result in the death of people. The actions of causers can be evaluated ethically. Three main theories are available for this purposewithin the framework of ethics: virtue ethics, deontological ethics, and consequentialist/utilitarian ethics. The study deals with the application of these theories to moral action and shows the conditions of the possibilities to ethically evaluate the destruction of infrastructure. In doing so it becomes clear that consequentialist/utilitarian ethics can be a generally accepted way of evaluating moral action. Rule utilitarianism offers itself. Thus, it provides a framework for action and the possibility of an operationalized comparison and shows the conditions of the possibilities of a framework. Further essential criteria of evaluation are human dignity, human rights, double effect, the doctrine of war, and collateral damage. The study also makes clear that actors can face an aporia. The agent or non-agent must bear responsibility for his actions, and he may become culpable. He must give account of his own free and autonomous action or non-action and its consequences before an authority. It is shown that attacking perpetrators of infrastructure destruction usually act morally reprehensible, while defending perpetrators usually, but not always, act morally acceptable. This is exemplified by a case study/dilemma situation.