We are large, we contain multitudes.
Feb. 17th, 2019 01:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
enemyofperfectSince NASA announced that they've stopped trying to communicate with Opportunity, I've seen a few different tumblr posts and tweets arguing that the outpouring of grief was evidence that -- numerous works of dystopian SF notwithstanding -- humans are unlikely to subjugate or oppress any sentient robots we may eventually create.
And I'd really like that to be true! I'd like to think that well of us! But unfortunately, I do not.
I'm sure there are hundreds and thousands of people who worry about their roombas. There are also hundreds and thousands of people who work in wildlife rehabilitation -- and there are other people who think it's funny to swerve to hit an animal crossing the road. Even among those of us who care about wild animals or find them adorable, I've never heard anyone suggest making roadkill a crime.
We're a diverse species! We contain all sorts of people, both considerate and cruel, and sometimes both kinds are outnumbered by people who are just too distracted by other concerns to care.
On top of that, we're pretty complex as individuals. I don't want to get too invested in comparisons to historical and contemporary oppressions of human beings, because it's kind of weird to do that in relation to a hypothetical category of person which does not factually exist at present, but -- there are so, so many examples of people making exceptions for a handful of individuals that they happened to form attachments to, while still behaving horribly to the rest. There are also countless examples of people behaving horribly to the same people they've formed attachments to, whether because of a conscious sense of entitlement or simple failure to look past their own fantasies!
I don't know. It's a nice thought, that we'd be friends with robots, and I'm not sure why it bothers me enough to write a whole post arguing against it. I guess I could say it's because the fallacy that having positive emotions towards one member of a group proves that you'll never behave badly towards that group as a whole can do real harm, but I think that's giving me too much credit. I guess I just have really strong opinions about human-robot relations?
I guess I just have really strong opinions about human-robot relations!
(Postscript for people sad about Opportunity: Wil Wheaton has a perhaps comforting thought. ♥)
And I'd really like that to be true! I'd like to think that well of us! But unfortunately, I do not.
I'm sure there are hundreds and thousands of people who worry about their roombas. There are also hundreds and thousands of people who work in wildlife rehabilitation -- and there are other people who think it's funny to swerve to hit an animal crossing the road. Even among those of us who care about wild animals or find them adorable, I've never heard anyone suggest making roadkill a crime.
We're a diverse species! We contain all sorts of people, both considerate and cruel, and sometimes both kinds are outnumbered by people who are just too distracted by other concerns to care.
On top of that, we're pretty complex as individuals. I don't want to get too invested in comparisons to historical and contemporary oppressions of human beings, because it's kind of weird to do that in relation to a hypothetical category of person which does not factually exist at present, but -- there are so, so many examples of people making exceptions for a handful of individuals that they happened to form attachments to, while still behaving horribly to the rest. There are also countless examples of people behaving horribly to the same people they've formed attachments to, whether because of a conscious sense of entitlement or simple failure to look past their own fantasies!
I don't know. It's a nice thought, that we'd be friends with robots, and I'm not sure why it bothers me enough to write a whole post arguing against it. I guess I could say it's because the fallacy that having positive emotions towards one member of a group proves that you'll never behave badly towards that group as a whole can do real harm, but I think that's giving me too much credit. I guess I just have really strong opinions about human-robot relations?
I guess I just have really strong opinions about human-robot relations!
(Postscript for people sad about Opportunity: Wil Wheaton has a perhaps comforting thought. ♥)
