What bothers me about the attempt to attribute rights to non-sentient things,
however playfully and career advancing a move it might be,
is that it stands to devalue the notion of rights where they really matter:
sentient creatures and especially humans.
michael
________________________________
From: netbehaviour <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 9:55 AM
Subject: [NetBehaviour] Citizen Robot: A Vindication of the Rights of Machines
Citizen Robot: A Vindication of the Rights of Machines
Cultural Studies Colloquium Series with David J. Gunkel
Columbia College Chicago
Thursday, February 14 at 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Collins Hall, Room 602 624 S. Michigan, Chicago, Illinois
http://events.colum.edu/calendar/day/2013/2/14
Abstract: Whether we recognize it or not, we are in the midst of a robot
invasion. Machines are now everywhere and doing everything. They
manufacture our automobiles and other consumer products. They make
decisions concerning finances and manage our retirement savings. They
play match maker, connecting us to our one true love. And they
effectively select the books we read, the music we hear, and the films
we watch. As these artifacts increasingly come to occupy influential
positions in contemporary culture, we will need to ask ourselves some
rather difficult questions: At what point might a robot or algorithm be
held responsible for the decisions it makes or the actions it deploys?
When, in other words, would it make sense to say “It’s the computer’s
fault?” Likewise, at what point might we have to seriously consider
extending rights—civil, moral and legal standing—to these socially
active devices? When, in other words, would it no longer be considered
non-sense to suggest something like “equal rights for machines?”
Although these questions are a staple in science fiction, we have
already passed the tipping point. This presentation will demonstrate why
it not only makes sense to speak of the vindication of the rights of
machines but also why avoiding this subject could be considered immoral.
David J. Gunkel is an award winning author and teacher specializing in
information technology and ethics. He holds the position of Presidential
Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication at Northern
Illinois University and is the author of Hacking Cyberspace (Westview,
2001); Thinking Otherwise: Philosophy, Communication, Technology (Purdue
University Press, 2007); and The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives
on AI, Robots and Ethics (MIT Press, 2012).
David J. Gunkel
Presidential Teaching Professor
Department of Communication
Northern Illinois University
http://www.gunkelweb.com/gunkel.html
[email protected]
815-753-7004
----------------------------
The Machine Question (MIT 2012)
http://machinequestion.org
International Journal of Zizek Studies
http://zizekstudies.org
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