Morals + Machines

About

Modern technology has captured the human imagination in many ways. From AI judging criminality to brain implants curing depression and quantum computing transforming the simulation of legal dilemmas.

More than ever, the space between what is technologically possible and what is socially desirable and acceptable is widening. Legal frameworks play a decisive role in this respect: they have the task of managing precisely this field for the benefit of society.

If human interactions are being increasingly shaped by how algorithms function, what ethical principles are they based on and who shapes them? Despite numerous science magazines in the individual fields of technology and law all around the world, there is still no platform that connects these disciplines.

This scientific journal addresses the question of how algorithms in general and artificial intelligence (AI) especially change society, the economy and the working world, the media, the healthcare system, technology, language, gender relations, and art and culture in a pluralistic manner. It investigates the questions of which ethical risks arise from general and artificial intelligence, what potential they offer and what challenges they pose to legal systems worldwide in relation to technological applications, robotics and the integration of AI.

The journal Morals & Machines examines these questions from an interdisciplinary, global and critical perspective at the interface between the humanities, social science, law and computer science.

Our international editorial and advisory board consists of renowned sociologists, ethicists, moral and technical philosophers, legal scholars, anthropologists, theologians, educationists, political scientists, sociologists, media and communication scientists, computer scientists and neuroscientists.

ISSN Print 2747-5174
ISSN Online 2747-5182
Published semi-annually

Editors

Prof. Dr. Miriam Meckel
ada Learning GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany
Dr. Léa Steinacker
ada Learning GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany
Prof. Dr. Thomas Beschorner
Universität St. Gallen, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Stefan Böschen
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser
Technical University Munich, Germany
Associate Professor Dr. Hin-Yan Liu
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Prof. Dr. Christoph Neuberger
FU Berlin, Germany
Prof. Dr. Claudia Paganini
Hochschule für Philosophie, München, Germany

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Dr. Christian Fieseler
BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway
Mail: mam@nomos-journals.de

Editorial Advisory Board

Prof. Dr. Andrea Römmele
Hertie School, Berlin, Germany

Guidelines for Authors

Call for Papers

Publishing Open Access

Morals & Machines is not an open access journal. However, it is possible to publish individual articles in the journal open access by making the digital version freely available under a Creative Commons license chosen by the respective author(s). The publisher requires a fee to cover the publication costs (Article Processing Charge – APC) in the amount of 1,990.00 EUR (plus VAT). Many scientific institutions and science funding bodies provide corresponding funds for the publication of research results.

Are you interested in this option? Talk to your editorial office or contact open-access@nomos.de!

Peer Review Process

The quality of the articles published in Morals & Machines is assured by a double-blind peer review process according to internationally accepted standards. This procedure is designed to preserve the anonymity of both authors and reviewers. If a reviewer has knowledge of the identity of at least one of the authors of the manuscript, he or she is required to inform the editorial board and declare any possible competing or conflicting interests.

Because the peer review process is critical to maintaining high publication standards, we rely on reviewers who are experts in the relevant academic branch, usually with a background in business administration. Reviewers are required to declare potential competing or conflicting interests. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for assessing whether these conflicts of interest may affect the quality of the review itself. Reviewers are instructed to evaluate the work in an unbiased and objective manner. If, during the review process, reviewers determine that they are not qualified to conduct the review (e.g., do not have the requisite expertise) or discover potential conflicts of interest or competing interests, they must notify the journal’s editorial board. Reviewers must not use information from the ongoing review process to benefit themselves or a third party. This includes suggesting that authors refer to their own work or that of a colleague when this is not necessary. Any other ethical concerns should also be brought to the attention of the editor. Unless specifically permitted, reviewers should not involve a third party to conduct the review.

As is customary with scientific journals, there are usually several rounds of review. Since we aim to send the first round of reviews to authors within three months, we ask our reviewers to submit the review before the deadline, provided that the time constraint does not affect the quality of the review. Since the reviews must contain detailed criticisms, cases where the rules of good scientific practice have been violated are easily identifiable. The journal does not prescribe a particular format or style for the review. However, it is customary to submit confidential comments to the editor with a recommendation to accept/review/reject the manuscript. Reviewers are asked to provide comments and suggestions on the quality and accuracy of the study and should refrain from rewriting the manuscript to suit their needs. A carefully prepared review will help the authors to improve their work. Therefore, we expect constructive suggestions for improvement and clearly stated comments for the authors and editors. Reviewers should also refrain from artificially prolonging the review process by asking for unnecessary or irrelevant information. The review process must always adhere to the highest standards of scholarly work and scientific integrity.

Interdisciplinary – Global – Critical