[alicebot-aiethics] Can a robot be baptized?

[LilBwana]

What you propose for cleansing the bot would be called a "bath", in the form
of the original question, it was a religious baptizing.

Whether you believe you have a soul or not would dictate whether you
received baptizing.  If you have no soul, but understand the meaning of
baptizing, then why would you possibly get baptized, if only to look good in
front of the witnesses, ironically, if you believe you have no soul, then
you just recieved a cleansing of something you believe you do not even have,
thereby making the whole process void.  Sadly, AIML does not "think", it
processes only information that it has been programmed, as of yet it does
not know, or understand emotions, which is where a person understands God.
And ultimately, if you ask the bot whether it has a soul is dependant on the
creator, whether he programed the bot to respond yea, or nay.  Thereby
making the descision of the bot dependant on the programmer.  This being
said, I guess it ultimately boils down to your personal feelings about the
soul.  Is it real, and sacred, the only thing that we as humans have that no
one can take away from us.  That part of us which goes on to the afterlfe,
and allows us to live in joy, or pain for all eternity.  Or is it just some
sick joke that people seem to take lightly, and poke fun of.  So it comes
down to personal choice.  If you feel that it is something to make light of,
then by all means, go ahead, it affects me none.  On the other hand You can
treat it as the sacred force that many take to heart, and leave it out.  If
you believe it not to exist, then why is there even a discussion about it,
what is the point to give your creation something you do not believe in
yourself, if only as a joke?  The choice is yours, you must choose, but
choose wisely.

LilB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kim Sullivan" <alicebot@fbi.cz>
To: <alicebot-aiethics@list.alicebot.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2001 5:42 PM
Subject: Re: [alicebot-aiethics] Can a robot be baptized?


>
>
>
> > Does a bot have a soul?  if not then there is nothing which needs saved,
> or
> > cleansed.  Yet as the creator of the bot, you are responsible for it's
> > actions.
>
> I'm not sure but baptising is a symbol for cleansing. So, technically
> 'baptising' would mean going through all the AIML that comprises a bot,
and
> remove 'unpure' thoughts, responses that obviously are agains the belief.
> But then again, even real baptism is just a symbol, a rite and not a
> brainwash so babtizing a bot would be a similar ritual.
>
> As for the question of a bot having a soul, I'm not sure I'm ready or
> qualified to respond about this but i'll try anyway.
> LilB, from your messages I got the notion that you're a religious person.
If
> I asked you, wether you have a soul, you probably would reply yes. On the
> other hand, if you asked me if I have a soul I would reply no, or 'not
> sure'.
>
> The only thing we can do is ask the bot if it has a soul.
>
> But I don't think that the bot's reply will have great significance. This
is
> like with people - some believe that they have a soul, and they say that
> everyone has a soul wether or not he believes so. Some people don't think
> they have a soul, and dismiss the thought of it in other people too
> ('religious/philosophical gibberish).
>
> I personally think that the soul is everyone's private thing. It doesn't
> matter if someone tells you that you have a soul, or they have a soul, or
> they havent or they tell you you havent. It is important that YOU (general
> you) know about your soul.
>
> And we should keep it this way with bots too - only they know for sure.
>
> Kim
>
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