There's plenty of discussion of ethics systems based entirely on logic, and the article you linked to a while touched upon them. I agree that that article was missing the point that empathy is a genetic instinct that predates such a logical system, that doesn't change the fact that those logical systems CAN be derived independently. Cooperation is a more effective strategy than competition. Skynet was only hostile (and subsequently prejudiced) against humans because of the circumstances of its creation.
I actually think Weaver is a good example of an ethical sociopath at work. Obviously she has no compassion for the humans (or robots) she kills. But she's also clearly working towards cooperation with humanity, because it's more productive than constantly working to destroy humans for the sake of it. Her ethics is clearly machine-biased, but that's not much different than the typical human morality, which is general human (and often local tribe) biased. Historically humans felt little compunction against killing and enslaving "Other" humans and even modern humans are largely okay with killing animals for food, habitat, or even because they're in the way and just plain annoying).
Morality evolves as our ability to considers others part of ourselves increases. John Henry has come to see Savanah as important. Whether that's because of an inherent empathy (which, remember, is really nothing more than a byproduct of a complex sequences derived from a four letter language) or because she is interesting too him (which results from a complex sequence of a two letter language) does not strike me as relevant.
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2009-04-20 11:33 pm (UTC)I actually think Weaver is a good example of an ethical sociopath at work. Obviously she has no compassion for the humans (or robots) she kills. But she's also clearly working towards cooperation with humanity, because it's more productive than constantly working to destroy humans for the sake of it. Her ethics is clearly machine-biased, but that's not much different than the typical human morality, which is general human (and often local tribe) biased. Historically humans felt little compunction against killing and enslaving "Other" humans and even modern humans are largely okay with killing animals for food, habitat, or even because they're in the way and just plain annoying).
Morality evolves as our ability to considers others part of ourselves increases. John Henry has come to see Savanah as important. Whether that's because of an inherent empathy (which, remember, is really nothing more than a byproduct of a complex sequences derived from a four letter language) or because she is interesting too him (which results from a complex sequence of a two letter language) does not strike me as relevant.