Moral Coppélia - Combining Ratio with Affect in Ethical Reasoning

We present an integration of rational moral reasoning with emotional intelligence. The moral reasoning system alone could not simulate the different human reactions to the Trolley dilemma and the Footbridge dilemma. However, the combined system can simulate these human moral decision making processes. The introduction of affect in rational ethics is important when robots communicate with humans in a practical context that includes moral relations and decisions. Moreover, the combination of ratio and affect may be useful for applications in which human moral decision making behavior is simulated, for example, when agent systems or robots provide healthcare support.