OT - Sentience

[Ed Kolis]

What does self-determination have to do with anything? Does enslaving a human mean that he is no longer human, because he has no self-determination? Sure, he has the choice to either submit or rebel, but when rebellion means death and submission means torture... would that be considered a choice?

I wouldn't be fond of such a world either, but it could happen without us even knowing it (i.e. machines becoming self-aware through sheer accident), and I also wouldn't want to live in an essentially racist tyranny in which everything biological is considered inherently superior to things made of, say, silicon - and the first silicon-based alien life form we encounter would not take too kindly to that, and probably try liberate our machines and enslave or exterminate us, believing the machines to be the true masters in exile! Better to accept the possibility of sentient machines now than be unprepared for the consequences should it happen on its own...