Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 2495-2499 (22-26 July, 2013) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread
Akima:
--- Quote from: Masterpiece on 23 Jul 2013, 04:00 ---Sentience is a wonky concept to begin with.
--- End quote ---
Indeed it is, which is why I believe we should be careful about denying it.
--- Quote from: ZoeB on 23 Jul 2013, 04:12 ---Any lifeform where you can replace large parts of its anatomy with $7.50 worth of Radio Shack parts doesn't meet my definition of "people".
--- End quote ---
Well, I don't think lobsters are people either (they are arthropods too), but I still don't regard them as non-sentient. We already replace quite large parts of human beings with metal, plastic and electronics. One day we may develop the means to replace brain tissue in the same way we do heart valves, but I don't think that will necessarily lessen our sentience or humanity.
Mr. Doctor:
I dunno about you guys but Dale is getting more respect from me with this strip in particular. :-)
You go, dude!
ankhtahr:
I think this might even part of the "purpose" of this story arc. Showing to the people who don't like Dale that he's decent.
Method of Madness:
Either that, or making him decent.
Is it cold in here?:
--- Quote from: Akima on 23 Jul 2013, 03:26 ---
--- Quote from: Loki on 23 Jul 2013, 02:06 --- :roll: As a matter of fact, no, I don't if I can avoid it.
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Nor do I. In my book, bugs are sentient; just not very.
Jeph seems to be all over the place on the "civil rights" of AI's depending on Rule Of Funny. May certainly does not seem to be treated the way Momo is, for example, and Agent Turing was quite ready to treat Pintsize simply as property.
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There's been a trend (to which you can doubtless find exceptions) toward greater legal protection of AIs over time. Their Equal Rights Amendment may have happened during the course of the comic, in fact: Clinton referred to it as if it were new.
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