[aiethics] What are humans made of?

[Chris Fahey]

Alicebot AI Ethics Committee - http://www.alicebot.org


> That's also my point of view...IMHO whenever people found something =
they
> couldn't explain they made up an explanation...and the picture of an
> almighty and all-knowing being made their life a lot easier...
> It's sad, but still many people rather believe in something as
> far-fetched
> as a religion or other supernatural beliefs than simply admitting =
their
> inability to explain certain things...

I am an atheist, and although I fundamentally question the societal =
benefit
of most religious practices world I think that this comment is a little =
over
the line. There are many people who faithfully practice religion and =
also
admit that certain things are unexplainable by science. Religion is many
things besides simply a way of explaining the laws of nature: Religion =
can
be a philosophy of life, a cultural bond, a tool of self discipline, a =
legal
system, a history, etc.=20

<uninformed religious generalizations>
Being a Christian, for some, means practicing a life of love and =
forgiveness
more than it means a belief in resurrection or transubstantiation. Many, =
if
not most, Jews recognize the old testament as a document of the history =
of
their myths, stories, and culture, not a factual document of real =
history.
Buddhist teaching, from what little I understand, makes very few claims =
at
all about supernatural phenomenon, instead focusing on answering the
philosophical questions of being. It's a matter of understanding the =
power
of allegory and appreciating the fluid undefinability of faith.
</uninformed religious generalizations>

My belief that murder is wrong is as logically arbitrary as someone =
else's
belief that unrepentant sinners will spend an eternity in hell. But it =
is a
belief that forms part of the very foundation of how I view the world. =
It
enables me to think about more practical and interesting things like =
setting
up my bot or making my girlfriend laugh. I have lots of other unprovable
beliefs, like the belief that racism/sexism/homophobia are damn wrong, =
that
cats are smarter than squirrels, that the ultrarich are all assholes, =
that
it's okay to lie occasionally, etc, etc.=20

Pedro is right to point out that without the shorthand tools of =
religion,
ethics, morality, etc, we'd all be caught in an infinite loop of =
existential
crisis. Like friend Jared.

-Cf