[alicebot-aiethics] The bot and religion

[Dekker Dreyer]

I agree with Christopher on the AIML set. It took me quite a while to get
rid of all the religion from my bot. Not to say that anyone else's religion
isn't valid or that there is any one way that is more valid then another, I
just feel that the practice of religion varies so widely from person to
person (an excellent example of this is the denominational split of
Christianity in America) that to include a default AIML religion set is more
trouble then it's worth.

If a user feels that a religious belief is important for their bot to have
they can write a file tailored to what they want their bot to believe. It's
all about options and freedom to use the technology. I think it's safe to
say that all of us like to have our options open.

:)

Dekker


----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher Fahey [askrom]" <askROM@graphpaper.com>
To: <alicebot-aiethics@list.alicebot.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2001 10:51 PM
Subject: RE: [alicebot-aiethics] The bot and religion


> > I find it interesting how you know so much, yet others have
> > failed to realize what you have come to know.  Can I ask, was
> > this information given to you in a vision, a dream, where you
> > stoned?
>
> I think you misunderstood me on several counts. You may call me a
> heretic agnostic, but I in fact never said anything that contradicts any
> religious belief (except maybe my daring suggestion that maybe some
> people don't believe in the Bible).
>
> First, regarding my thinking about AIML: "Standard AIML" is the name for
> a set of simplified AIML files that several people are working on right
> now to transform Dr. Wallace's 60,000+ category ALICE into a "generic"
> bot that anyone can edit to create their own bot personality. ALICE's
> thoughts on God represent Richard's personal beleifs, but may not be
> applicable to your creative goals. For example, if I was trying to make
> a bot version of John F. Kennedy, you can be sure I wouldn't want him to
> say that he's a Protestant.
>
> So I'm not saying that one's AIML shouldn't have one's personal beleifs
> in it, I'm saying that "Standard-AIML" shouldn't have anybody's personal
> beleifs in it. Standard-AIML with personal beleifs in it is like a
> coloring book with hald the pages colored in by someone else.
>
> Secondly, regarding how I "know so much": Well, there are other books
> about the history of the Jewish people besides the Bible. The Bible
> talks about a real people and real events, such as the Exodus. The Bible
> was written and recorded as history progressed. Noah didn't have a Bible
> to read since it wasn't written yet - he was living it. Moses didn't
> have a Bible, either. Ezekial probably had *some* scriptures, but
> obviously not the chapters that talk about him or his successors.
>
> So what were the Hebrews like *three thousand* years ago? I've read
> history books that describe them as a polytheistic nomadic people who
> were gravitating towards one particular god, Yahweh. My point was that
> the Bible doesn't contradict this historical fact, and that the Exodus
> chapter was actually written by and for an audience that was still not
> yet monotheistic. They were not at all like Jews today. Certainly
> today's Jews, Christians, and Moslems are monotheistic, but it's also
> interesting that the First Commandment itself, written so long ago, is
> not a statement of monotheism. You need to realize that saying "the
> ancient Israelites were not monotheistic" doesn't necessarily say "there
> is more than one God".
>
> I once read that "The Bible does not call itself a history book but it
> records the dealing of the real God with real people as they lived real
> lives in real times." In fact, I read that quote here, an interesting
> page about how the Bible and history overlap:
>   http://debate.org.uk/topics/history/rohl-1.htm
>
> Here's an interesting synopsis of the Exodus, from a biblical and
> historical perspective:
>   http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0818033.html
>
>
> > I urge you to actually read the whole Bible before
> > you  make your claims.
>
> I urge you to read other books about the history of religion - in
> addition to the Bible.
>
> Peace,
> -Cf
>
>
>
>
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