Which one? The not believing in the soul thing, or the robot one? Which ability? That post is cryptic.Originally Posted by Xaenn
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Which one? The not believing in the soul thing, or the robot one? Which ability? That post is cryptic.
I like to score
this is true, but they would have to have a more hard-pressed argument than like "I don't believe" to do much convincing, especially when our current understanding of the biochemical process still cannot account for any sort of vitalism.
Banned
I took your post as a reply to mine, which I'm not sure it was. But following in that vein, saying that humans have predictable behavior. I took this as meaning completely predictable, which I'm not sure you meant. But following that, I don't see so how one reaches the conclusion that humans have completely predictable behavior.Which one? The not believing in the soul thing, or the robot one? Which ability? That post is cryptic.
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And the lack of hard evidence will not incite nor convince me of the existence of the soul. I'd rather wait than jump to conclusions.
Xaenn:
It was meant for Tosca. And by predictable behavior means that we can know how someone will react. Not how he will go about acting that reaction, but we can still envision how he could react.
E.G.
I punch you in the face.
You'll either do nothing to me, or hit me back. You could also go to the police, get a lawyer, sue me, disregard the whole issue...
That's what was meant by predictable. Predictions are not certainties. *thinks about the weather channel
Oh, and I never meant "completly" predictable.
Cookie Thief
What about our understanding of volatile things such as a "soul" as most people see it? (some sort of a ghost is a rather popular beleif apparently)
There's no one that can prove those things exist either, yet. Hard-pressed arguments on one side, but on the other side too.
I like to score
And the lack of hard evidence will not incite nor convince me of the existence of the soul. I'd rather wait than jump to conclusions.
Xaenn:
It was meant for Tosca. And by predictable behavior means that we can know how someone will react. Not how he will go about acting that reaction, but we can still envision how he could react.
E.G.
I punch you in the face.
You'll either do nothing to me, or hit me back. You could also go to the police, get a lawyer, sue me, disregard the whole issue...
That's what was meant by predictable. Predictions are not certainties. *thinks about the weather channel
Oh, and I never meant "completly" predictable.
ok well you are welcome to believe whatever you want, It just sorta makes me wonder why you bothered to ask me about my post in the first place then. Also your whole point about human behavior being predictable, still isn't making a whole lot of sense, really.
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Predictable as in being able to know what might happen, not saying what will precisely happen.ok well you are welcome to believe whatever you want
I asked you what you thought a soul was just to make sure. I'm not going to answer to someone when I don't know what he means. Why shouldn't I ask you something when I don't believe it, even if to just make sure I understand what you mean? That's silly.
Banned
When I saw your confusion in my post, I was pretty sure that's what you meant. However, I figured I'd best continue on with what I meant.
I don't think one can be sure of such. To me it seems much more likely it is some sort of thing we haven't discovered yet (who knows if we will). Maybe we'll discover something of a willitron, or the like.
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And by that you mean some sort of "will controlling part of the brain"?
Banned
Something like that.And by that you mean some sort of "will controlling part of the brain"?
I like to score
so you're whole point is sorta like -how do we know we aren't robots, ...based on the fact that our behavior is predictable, or that we are able to speculate what a reaction could be?-Predictable as in being able to know what might happen, not saying what will precisely happen.
I asked you what you thought a soul was just to make sure. I'm not going to answer to someone when I don't know what he means. Why shouldn't I ask you something when I don't believe it, even if to just make sure I understand what you mean? That's silly.
Last edited by Tosca; 13th-December-2005 at 21:45.
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Something like that.
I like to score
i dunno but all this food for thought has me dusting off my copy of brave new world
Okay...a bit more on what I meant by the topic of this thread...
It doesn't matter if the 'robot' has a soul or not...
If we (or it) believe we have a soul, then it is real to us in our understanding of our existence.
So...
If the 'Robot' believes it has a 'soul' than whether it does or not, wouldn't it still feel the same losss of existence as a human at the time of it's 'demise' or departure from 'conciousness' as it would know it's life to be?
So the soul argument is somewhat irrelevant in that life isn't whether you have a soul or not but whether or not you believe you do...
If I cut myself with a knife...it hurts!
If a robot is made that believes a knife hurts it...it hurts!
Because it believes so...
Because nerve endings (or electronic circuits and impulses) tell something it hurts, or it dies, or it has a soul...
Whether this is true or not, it is real to the program or mind that believes it so.
There are certain people of 'beliefs' who believe they have 'conquered' pain and can mentally rise above it...
Does this make them more...or less human?
If they don't feel human pain, they have achieved what man can't, but robots are 'born' with...
I know the dandelion in my front yard doesn't sit around all day thinking...
"Wow, what do I do since I have this great soul thing and where do I go from here?"
But one day someone could program a 'robot' to ask just that question...with a billion different replies that it can ask itself...of which it would have to choose...one.
If 'It' believes it lives...does it?
If 'It' believes it feels pain...does it?
And are we...robots?
Something greater than us making us in it's image but not quite as good as the creator itself and now we are 'programmed' to seek answers to things such as pain and existence...because those things were in our program...but never expected to be asked.
I'll be back...I need another wine cooler...
It's in my program...
Mightier than the duck!
I know this will sound stupid but if you give a robot emotions annd such then it may and possibly result in the matrix. As if they will rebel against us. I say this because if a robot has emotions than it is able to think rationally with morals. If it can do such then it will see that it has been created for a purpose and is infact a slave. We being the creators will rule supreme over them and claim that since we are their creators we are their god and they belong to us. So what we will get are self evolving robots capable of emotions freewill and the ability to defend and free themselves or a morally wrong world in which they are slaves. Because why else would we create a robot only to further ourselves.
Now they may not try to take us over but think about this. If you clone a human tell him his life belongs to you and say that he must do what you say. Chances are he will defend himself lash out. I think the same would aply to robots.
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