Sunday, June 06, 2004
Asimov again
Recently There was a question on the online forum of asimov@orkut on whether we can consider Robots in Asimovian stories Humans This was my answer,
Here is what I feel I believe what constitutes Humaneness of a Human being.
1) Ability to feel wonder and curiosity towards nature. (Central to being a human -what differentiates from lower order, but did the robots have it? That is to feel wonder about things that may not have been of any use to them?)
2) Empathy to other life forms,
Do the robots feel it? Other than sensing that the other intelligent life forms in galaxy might be a threat to humans in the long run, Did it dawn on them to preserve what was different? They did not feel that bond to organisms in earth, which they destroyed, nor did they feel it towards the meme minds and the intelligent life they found in the galaxy, their impulse was to destroy them on the slim thread that they may prove a competition to Human kind.
3) Ability to take Risks (defined as results with more than 50% of the outcome is unknown)
4) To understand your limitations and find workarounds.
Perhaps they did it with the zeroth law, but did they go beyond ? Only one robot propounded the minus one law, but none accepted it.
5) To feel part of society - either human or robotic, Not as masters and nor as servants, but merely as fellow beings. To be able to accord another being privileges based on your good will alone..
6) To value freedom.
7) To have beliefs (irrational or non justifiable convictions) like our belief in god, humanity, soul etc.. Each human has at least some by default,at least we have to expend energy to purge us of it, and even then i am not sure we can purge it.
8) To Love & To Hate
9) To Learn and to Forget
10) To laugh and have emotions
there are lesser ones too but these are the first ten. And remember these are not like robotic laws - universal in their order, each of us have a different order for these things. ¶ 3:53 PM
Here is what I feel I believe what constitutes Humaneness of a Human being.
1) Ability to feel wonder and curiosity towards nature. (Central to being a human -what differentiates from lower order, but did the robots have it? That is to feel wonder about things that may not have been of any use to them?)
2) Empathy to other life forms,
Do the robots feel it? Other than sensing that the other intelligent life forms in galaxy might be a threat to humans in the long run, Did it dawn on them to preserve what was different? They did not feel that bond to organisms in earth, which they destroyed, nor did they feel it towards the meme minds and the intelligent life they found in the galaxy, their impulse was to destroy them on the slim thread that they may prove a competition to Human kind.
3) Ability to take Risks (defined as results with more than 50% of the outcome is unknown)
4) To understand your limitations and find workarounds.
Perhaps they did it with the zeroth law, but did they go beyond ? Only one robot propounded the minus one law, but none accepted it.
5) To feel part of society - either human or robotic, Not as masters and nor as servants, but merely as fellow beings. To be able to accord another being privileges based on your good will alone..
6) To value freedom.
7) To have beliefs (irrational or non justifiable convictions) like our belief in god, humanity, soul etc.. Each human has at least some by default,at least we have to expend energy to purge us of it, and even then i am not sure we can purge it.
8) To Love & To Hate
9) To Learn and to Forget
10) To laugh and have emotions
there are lesser ones too but these are the first ten. And remember these are not like robotic laws - universal in their order, each of us have a different order for these things. ¶ 3:53 PM
