AW: [alicebot-aiethics] Ok, who would deny Hawking the first artificial body?

[Tamara Thompson]

Christian, I still have not found the article with Hawking's opinions about
machines and IQ.  Could you post the url?



Christian Dro?mann wrote:

> Tamara Thompson wrote:
>
> Just curious, would anyone actually fight over who gets the first artificial
> human body?
>
> I would nominate Hawking, because he's had  great experience with being a
> mind
> and voice trapped inside a body that is failing.  And because he's struggled
> to educate all of us despite the problems.  And because he's pretty smart.
> <smile>  And because his eyes twinkle,  he's aware of everything.  <big
> grin>
>
> [...]
>
> To answer your question: I would!
>
> Sure, Hawking is a brilliant scientist and has achieved a lot in his
> life...but why does this qualify him to get the first artificial body?
> Why not the boy you wrote about? Why not one of the many others who suffer
> from motor neurone disease, but who are not a celebrity of science?
> Because keeping Hawking alive would be more useful?
> I can tell you a reason why Hawking should NOT be the first person to get an
> artificial body: Unlike many others in whose cases the decay of the body
> happened more rapidly and/or they could not afford the treatment Hawking is
> getting and who will die at an early age, he had a life! Hawking is an old
> man and although his death will be a great loss for science, physics in
> particular, he had the chance to achieve something, and he sure did.
>
> IMHO all human life is equally valuable. So the criterion for getting an
> artificial body should not be how "useful" a person is, but how much a
> particular person is in need of such a body.
> And I would say a young man at the age of 20 suffering from MND is much more
> in need of a new body than a man at the age of 60 is...
>
> Another thing: I partially adopt Chris Fahey's point of view...but being at
> least as cynic as he is, I would take his scneario a step further:
>
> If we leave out the money factor, then it is most likely that those who are
> considered "useful" (for whatever reason) will be the ones to get an
> artificial body if they need one...no one will care about those with
> moderate or even below-average intelligence...who needs those people anyway?
> When I read the Hawking interview, the part about genetically engineering
> people's IQ in particular,the term "Uebermensch" came to my mind...and with
> the question above it came to my mind again...
>
> In Germany, about 50 years ago, we had people choosing whom to save and whom
> to kill according to their "usefulness" for the sake of creating a better
> race of humans...I wouldn't want this to happen again...
>
> Christian
>
> _______________________________________________
> alicebot-aiethics mailing list
> alicebot-aiethics@list.alicebot.org
> http://list.alicebot.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/alicebot-aiethics