So yeah, as documented, I've been playing mass effect, and I want to poise a Geth-inspired question.
Imagine, you created a Toaster. THE BEST TOASTER. It had enough memory or whatever to make perfect toast. And you invested time and effort into creating this tool, because you wanted PERFECT TOAST. Like you could of been dating, there was a girl that was into you, you could of gotten laid, but you said NO! in pursuit of perfect Toast.
Anyway, one day you wake up, going about your routine, making breakfast... And the Toaster is talking to you. It's asking questions like "Am I Alive? What is my purpose? Are you my God?"
Clearly the Toaster has achieved sentience, is what I am getting at. It wasn't your intention, you just needed a tool to make toast.
NOW HERE IS THE TOPIC QUESTION: Considering all that, do you let the Toaster go free?
Because I've poised this question to friends time and time before. Majority of the time they agree the moment a machine becomes sentient its horrible to keep them enslaved.... And I disagree. I feel if you accidentally create a Sentient toaster, while that toaster does eventually deserve it's freedom, you don't deserve to go completely Toast-less. Either the toaster must fill it's obligation until there is a suitable replacement or a certain amount of time has expired as "payment" for its creation... After all the parts that make it up didn't spawn from nothing.
Imagine, you created a Toaster. THE BEST TOASTER. It had enough memory or whatever to make perfect toast. And you invested time and effort into creating this tool, because you wanted PERFECT TOAST. Like you could of been dating, there was a girl that was into you, you could of gotten laid, but you said NO! in pursuit of perfect Toast.
Anyway, one day you wake up, going about your routine, making breakfast... And the Toaster is talking to you. It's asking questions like "Am I Alive? What is my purpose? Are you my God?"
Clearly the Toaster has achieved sentience, is what I am getting at. It wasn't your intention, you just needed a tool to make toast.
NOW HERE IS THE TOPIC QUESTION: Considering all that, do you let the Toaster go free?
Because I've poised this question to friends time and time before. Majority of the time they agree the moment a machine becomes sentient its horrible to keep them enslaved.... And I disagree. I feel if you accidentally create a Sentient toaster, while that toaster does eventually deserve it's freedom, you don't deserve to go completely Toast-less. Either the toaster must fill it's obligation until there is a suitable replacement or a certain amount of time has expired as "payment" for its creation... After all the parts that make it up didn't spawn from nothing.