Robot Theology

Posted 13 Jun 2001 at 01:03 UTC by The Swirling Brain

UPI interviews some robotics heavyweights in an article pondering the possible relationships we as humans may someday have with machines. So, I ponder... If robots really begin to think, then what draws the line between what has a soul and what doesn't. Are humans merely thinking machines or are we somehow special in which a robot could never be like us? If you were to get cyborg implants, would you say you are a human with some robot parts or would you say you are a robot with some human parts? "Daddy, do robot's go to heaven when they die?" Where does robot end and life begin? And other miscellany that possibly conflicts with (or not) my current beliefs.

Silicon Heaven, posted 13 Jun 2001 at 01:57 UTC by steve » (Master)

As anyone who watches Red Dwarf knows, robots go to Silicon Heaven when they die...

Lister: How can you just lie back and accept it?
Kryten: Oh, it's not the end for me, sir, it's just the beginning. I have served my human masters, now I can look forward to my reward in silicon heaven.
Lister: [Stunned pause.] Silicon WHAT?
Kryten: Surely you've heard of silicon heaven?
Lister: Has it got anything to do with being stuck opposite Bridgette Nielsen in a packed lift?
Kryten: It's the electronic afterlife! It's the gathering place for the souls of all electonic equipment. Robots, calculators, toasters, hairdryers, it's our final resting place.
Lister: I don't mean to say anything out of place here, Kryten, but that is completely whacko Jacko. There is no such thing as 'Silicon Heaven'.
Kryten: Then where do all the calculators go?
Lister: They don't go anywhere! They just die.
Kryten: Surely you beleive that God is in all things? Aren't you a pantheist?
Lister: Yeah, but I just don't think it applies to kitchen utensils. I'm not a FRYING pantheist! Machines do not have souls. Computers and calculators do not have an afterlife. You don't get hairdryers with tiny little wings, sitting on clouds and playing harps!

Whoville body snatchers, posted 13 Jun 2001 at 03:36 UTC by The Swirling Brain » (Master)

I vaugely remember one of the Dr. Who shows where one species wouldn't let anyone examine their dead. Turns out they were a race of robots. Come to think of it, when was the last time you examined a dead corpse? How do you know all the rest of aren't robots? Anyway, I guess I've missed the red dwarf show. I'm guessing it was a low budget bbc flick like Dr. Who. Why are the low budget British ones always the best?

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