Do Humanlike Machines Deserve Human Rights?

Super Funny little robot like toy. Awesome! Good engineering involved in that Puppy,definetly! Nice work I admitted.

Elmo-Tion,

MC

This is a toy," Fisher-Price's Sirard says. "There shouldn't be any laws about how you use your toys."

I agree with that.

Once we get to the I Robot, Blade Runner, Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek TNG etc. point, then we will have to consider the implications of the robot potentially being an entity. While it is just a toy, then no. No robot rights.

I believe it really depends on the autonomy of the robot. Can it function on its own in a human fashion? Does it think, learn, grow, etc?

As robots gain those abilities, they will be drastically different in this regard ("human rights").

I don't really know the answer. I'm more thinking: Why do we want to go there? Can't we just keep robots as toys and task completer?

Though, yes, I know someone will go there. It's how we humans operate.

When they can think and reason on their own, without programming then let them fight for rights. Until then they are toys, tools, utilities....

I find it sadly amusing that a species which hasn't quite got the hang of extending (much less enforcing or even defining) rights to its own membership would entertain the notion of extending such rights to other creatures.

They'll take anything they can get.

Actually Definitions of Human Rights have been made either by Nations, like the US, Bill of Rights, and the Netherlands and other countries. There is also the International Human Rights as defined by the United Nations. Enforcement of the International Bill of Human Rights is certainly not great, especially as regards Women's Rights. You could make a strong case for extending rights to others has the effect of cementing and advancing rights to your own. I suppose there was a time when a slave owner could abuse or even kill a slave, using the justification, "It is mine, and I can do what I want with it, because I own it." In the case of Robots, there is a wonderful Science Fiction book titled Time and Time Again, by Clifford Simak, wherein Robots with souls and humans go back and forth in time rewriting the Bible in a contest over rights. One of the reasons we even have toys for children, is that from play, they learn not only how things work, but how to care for things. When a robot becomes the equivalent of a pet, it ought to be treated as such, or the child may well learn that it is okay, and no different to mistreat a dog, or cat.

Hmmm... I've thoroughly read our federal constitution, my state constitution (Indiana), and scores of documents, letters, papers and books written about these constitutions; many by the very people that wrote the constitutions. I know very well that we do not live under Rule of Law; we live by rule of force. I have no written rights at all, since all of them are subject to endless limitations, exceptions, provisos and outright retraction without any constitutional authority to do so.

Actually, some estimates put over 250000 actual slaves (not tax slaves, actual chained-to-the-floor slaves) in the USA today. Sure it's "illegal," but it's politically mediated though not sanctioned.

I'm not aware of any ancient human embarrassment that we've solved with all our high and mighty talk.

My hope is that humanlike machines will give us rights we do not give ourselves.

See "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

Save us Gort!

Live in hope, die in vain. Not likely for machines or robots to treat us better than they are treated, aye? Rule of force is in a nation of laws regulated by those laws, even if it takes awhile to sink in. Bribery by cops on the street, or the local building inspector, or the health inspector grading the resturant is still corruption of ideals illustrating a failure of leadership. You do have written rights.

Like every thing, this "Thing" will die. Never mind its rights!

I suppose I should have said "agree upon those rights". Specifically at the time I wrote that I was thinking about the US debates about what is and isn't torture. What was torture 30 odd years ago isn't torture now. Guess it depends on what end of the board you're on.

Also I agree with your comment about children and I initially started to include a statement to that effect but didn't want to veer too far into it. My concern is children (or adults, for that matter) will learn they can simply ignore "Automaton X" for days or weeks at a time when they tire of playing with it. How long then before they begin to extend that selfish behavior to, say, the puppy they received for their birthday? Or other people?

The victor writes the history. Your rights are there but privileges are substituted. When you accept the substitution you void demanding for your inalienable rights.

The issue with robots is can they be compassionate because if not we will be their slaves by error or design.

Brad

I think once the Internet becomes sentient and controls every aspect of our lives this question will become moot. Everyone (man and machine) will be happy, well taken care of, and very very dull.

I think you can rephrase your question to: Do all Humanlike creatures and Machines Deserve Human Rights.

The answer is plain: Human rights can only be claimed by creatures or machines that deserve it.

Like everything else on Earth nothing is for free. Human rights are very expensive and the price is "RESPONSIBILITY". Any person creature or thing that can be RESPONSIBLE and act accordingly can claim HUMAN RIGHTS.

Therefor any person violating the community rules are not responsible and thus do not deserve human rights.

"Community rules" is the common name I give to all rules and legislation of a nation or community.

Can a Robot be responsible?

Is a criminal serving his sentence 'responsible'?

Just Thinking.

Interestingly, corporations are legal persons with all the rights thereof - including the right to own other such legal persons. So is it really so farfetched that machines may some day be granted human rights?

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