Moral & Machines

Morals + Machines

Interdisciplinary – Global – Critical

Published up until Volume 2(2022)

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 addressed 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 investigated 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 examined these questions from an interdisciplinary, global and critical perspective at the interface between the humanities, social science, law and computer science.

The international editorial and advisory board of the issues published consisted 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

Editors

Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Advisory Board

Peer Review Process

The quality of the articles published in Morals & Machines was assured by a double-blind peer review process according to internationally accepted standards. This procedure was designed to preserve the anonymity of both authors and reviewers.

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

As is customary with scientific journals, there were usually several rounds of review. Since we aimed to send the first round of reviews to authors within three months, we asked our reviewers to submit the review before the deadline, provided that the time constraint does not affect the quality of the review. The journal did not prescribe a particular format or style for the review. However, it was customary to submit confidential comments to the editor with a recommendation to accept/review/reject the manuscript. Reviewers were 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 helps the authors to improve their work. Therefore, we expected constructive suggestions for improvement and clearly stated comments for the authors and editors. Reviewers were to refrain from artificially prolonging the review process by asking for unnecessary or irrelevant information. The review process always adhered to the highest standards of scholarly work and scientific integrity.

Abstracting & Indexing

The journal was indexed in:

Copyright