ABSTRACT

The collection of essays in the special debate tackle the claim that drones deserve their acquired status as a revolutionary technology that has indelibly recast warfare. It is a debate embedded within a long-running and contentious, broader discussion about the role technology plays an independent variable affecting the character and perhaps the nature of war. How far can the introduction of a new technology really alter ways of fighting or radically impact battlefield outcomes? The complexity of the issue is reflected in the diversity of positions and approaches taken by the debaters. The purpose of these papers is not to arrive at a conclusion through a dialectic process; rather, readers are left to form their own views after weighing up the strengths of the arguments presented.

摘要

特别辩论中的论文集探讨了这样一种说法，即无人机作为一项革命性技术，不可磨灭地重塑了战争，其地位是当之无愧的。这是一场长期且有争议的、更广泛的讨论，讨论的主题是技术作为独立变量的作用，影响着战争的特征，也许还影响着战争的本质。新技术的引入能在多大程度上真正改变战斗方式或从根本上影响战场结果？问题的复杂性体现在辩论者所采取的立场和方法的多样性上。这些论文的目的不是通过辩证过程得出结论；而是通过辩证法得出结论。相反，读者可以在权衡所提出的论点的优点后形成自己的观点。