The Logos and Limits of Artificial Cognition: The Exemplar of Military Use

Abstract

This essay examines the conceptual and ethical boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) as it increasingly emulates human judgment, abstraction, and decision-making. The authors examine whether AI manifests true cognition or merely simulates it. They argue that cognition involves recursive self-awareness, referential subjectivity, and ethical intentionality, capacities that are not in AI architectures. The stakes are particularly high in military and high-consequence environments, where autonomous systems make operational decisions involving the use of force. Without self-reflective awareness, AI cannot satisfy the conditions for moral or existential agency. The essay calls for systems that augment human wisdom while preserving human judgment, accountability, and control, emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary approaches that bring together ethics, technology, and policy.

Document Type

Article

Topic(s)

Emerging Science and Technologies, Ethics, Future Strategic Concepts, National Security

Publication Date

10-10-2025

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