What is a soul? And how can you say whether or not a machine has one? What if we just have to accept that, biology aside, we can't distinguish ourselves from them?Originally Posted by Prrkitty
What is a soul? And how can you say whether or not a machine has one? What if we just have to accept that, biology aside, we can't distinguish ourselves from them?
The artist formally known as macweirdo42, formally known as weirdguy (it's a long, uninteresting story).
From my understanding... a soul is what distinguishes us from ... say a tree. We (smart humans) know that animals feel pain and are conscious of their surroundings so I think they also have a soul. At this point we're getting into the philosophical subjects that I don't know that much about.
I'm sure some might be able to just accept that (if it comes to that)... but I'm also sure some will fight that fact until their dying breath.
If you love... love without reservation. If you fight... fight without fear.
ST: If you're going to go the way of the ostrich and stick your head into the sand or up your butt and expect everything to go the way you had imagined it, you deserve your fate.
The way this converstion is going is making me think...
*sits in corner and think about meaning of life*
hmm...
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That's what's so amusing about fighting facts... you always lose to a fact. Always.
There is no scientific reason to think humans have souls. It is something made up by ancient and medieval mystics. The fact is, the human behavior commonly attributed to having a soul is really just the behavioral complexity arising from our extremely complex chemical computers (our brains).
A "soul" is a non scientific idea and has no place in a discussion of robotics, artificial intelligence, and technological progress.
"Who was to say that machines, endowed with the very spirit of man, did not deserve a fair trial" That's a quote from the animatrix. The part called "The Second Renaissances: Part I". In it a robot kills it's owner and during the investigation says that it merely did not want to be destroyed like it's owner was going to. In the movie many people say that owners have a right to destroy their property. It has a lot of parallels to black slavery in the south.
Rog Nog was right. Imposing the three laws subverts their free will. And in most of the science fiction you find that the robots are treated as second class citizens. If we create an AI that can effectively mimic our intelligence how would it be ethical of us to treat them as shit?
As for the whole soul thing, that's a big powder keg right there. As Beldran said, some people don't believe that humans have souls, so for them it's a moot point as to whether or not an AI robot has a soul. For some people, they believe in a soul and believe that an AI bot would indeed have a soul if it could demonstrate certain abilities such as empathy for others feelings, kindness, and the ability to ascertain good from evil. And then some people think that an AI bot can't have a soul because it's made by the hand of man and not the hand of God. It'll be a very touchy subject when it comes up. Regardless of whether or not we deem robots to have a soul I don't think we should use them as slave labor. Subverting the will of something that is sentient is just not right.
Trevelyan
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Unfortunately, the concept of the "soul" does have a place in a robotics discussion. As much as I agree with you, many people believe in the soul, and believe that it somehow makes us "special." As terrible as it is, it will likely be used as an argument for machine being treated as slaves, and there will be a lot of resistance to any attempts to change this viewpoint. So you see, the fact that people believe in it makes it an issue, at least in the field of human/machine relations.
Now, I know it might seem strange, the fact that I'm so passionate about something that doesn't even exist. But personally, I believe that it's not a question of if, it's a question of when, in terms of machines with human-level intelligence. After all, we exist, thus proving that machines with human-level intelligence can be built. And eventually we're gonna figure out how, and we're going to give birth to an entirely new form of life. And when that day comes, we need to be ready to handle the ethical questions that will be raised, because it could affect the entire future of the human race.
EDIT: Oh, and Beldaran, I've gotta admit, this thread is really making me start to realize the dangers of religion. The thought that an entire group of people (I feel that all sapient beings should be called the same thing - different name = different treatment) could be enslaved and treated barbarically simply on account of what someone wrote in a book two thousand years ago is truly frightening and disturbing.
The artist formally known as macweirdo42, formally known as weirdguy (it's a long, uninteresting story).
I wholeheartedly agree that we should NOT use robots as slave labor.
At this point in time we do have little round robots type pieces of machinery that can vaccuum and scrub our floors. I don't ever see them li'l things (as they are now/today) as having feelings. In the future maybe they will be built to have human characteristics.
But not as they are in this day and age.
If you love... love without reservation. If you fight... fight without fear.
ST: If you're going to go the way of the ostrich and stick your head into the sand or up your butt and expect everything to go the way you had imagined it, you deserve your fate.
Yes, this is also how black slavery was justified. Southern whites used biblical arguments about how black people were less than human, didn't have souls, were cursed by god... any number of things.
Computers are already smarter than most humans, me included. This isn't news, or at least, it shouldn't be.
Did you read past the first post in this thread?
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