Modern philosophers are still struggling over the problem of how we can definitively know that other people have consciousness, so in my view any discussion on the consciousness of machines should have to get in line and wait.
Personally, I find solipsism is a great idea and I just don't understand why more people don't believe in it.:)
Ok. Nice point. Also, the other point about the KKK and such are quite valid. Those are indeed bad, bad people who have well earned their very own thread.
Yet, let me "qualify" my earlier statement by pointing out a few examples. I was obviously way too general, and since there is so much evidence indicating that Islamic terrorism is a significant problem today there is no need to be general. Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_extremist_ter rorism
7 March 2006 - 2006 Varanasi bombings. An attack attributed to Lashkar-e-Toiba by Uttar Pradesh government officials, over 28 killed and over 100 injured, in a series of attacks in the Sankath Mochan Hanuman temple and Cantonment Railway Station in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh government officials.
9 November 2005 - 2005 Amman bombings. Over 60 killed and 115 injured, in a series of coordinated suicide attacks on hotels in Amman, Jordan. Four attackers including a husband and wife team were involved.
29 October 2005 - 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings. Over 60 killed and over 180 injured in a series of three attacks in crowded markets and a bus, just 2 days before the Diwali festival.
23 July 2005 - Bomb attacks at Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort city, at least 64 people killed.
7 July 2005 - Multiple bombings in London Underground. 53 killed by four suicide bombers. Nearly 700 injured.
4 February 2005 - Muslim militants attacked the Christian community in Demsa, Nigeria, killing 36 people, destroying property and displacing an additional 3000 people.
3 September 2004 Many School Children Killed by "Chechen Separatists". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage _crisishttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/04/rus sian_s/html/1.stm
11 March 2004 - Multiple bombings on trains near Madrid, Spain. 191 killed, 1460 injured. (alleged link to Al-Qaeda)
16 May 2004- Casablanca Attacks - 4 simultaneous attacks in Casablanca killing 33 civilians (mostly Moroccans) carried by Salafaia Jihadia.
12 October 2002 - Bombing in Bali nightclub. 202 killed, 300 injured.
24 September 2002 - Machine Gun attack on Hindu temple in Ahmedabad, India. 31 dead, 86 injured.[29][30]
7 May 2002 - Bombing in al-Arbaa, Algeria. 49 dead, 117 injured
9 March 2002 - Café suicide bombing in Jerusalem; 11 killed, 54 injured
3 March 2002 - Suicide bomb attack on a Passover Seder in a Hotel in Netanya, Israel. 29 dead, 133 injured
13 December 2001-Suicide attack on India's parliament in New Delhi. Aimed at eliminating the top leadership of India and causing anarchy in the country. Allegedly done by Pakistan-based Islamic terrorists organizations, Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba.
11 September 2001 - September 11, 2001 attacks 4 planes hijacked and crashed into World Trade Center and The Pentagon by 19 hijackers. Nearly 3000 dead.
7 August 1998 - 1998 United States embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. 225 dead. 4000+ injured
25 June 1996 - Khobar Towers bombing, 20 killed, 372 wounded.
26 February 1993 - World Trade Center bombing. 6 killed.
18 April 1983 - April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. 63 killed.
At least their sharpshooters didn't deliberatly target civilians and specifically civilian babies, as some Moslem terrorists recently have. There should be not grand debate if the Moslem freedom fighters were doing reasonable acts of wartime defense/aggression. Those groups take it for granted that the greater powers do not react with the same disregard for civilians, or else there would be towns and towns and cities of dead people as there were in the time of Rome's conquest when they wanted to supress "upstarts".
Pick a team. The humans win. Animals lose. If you want animals to win it is too bad.
Beyond the simplicity of those few true statements, it is an unforgivable shame that a respectable, productive scientist is forced into retirement because of animal activists. The sliding scale of morality and pain and suffering and all of that has a clear line, and that is humans. There is no compelling reason to claim good or evil whatsoever (no definition of it at all), so once you are left with realizing that there is no better thing to do than pick a team...humans, if you are one.
Anything less than that is not merely anti-social. What would bees do if one of them left the nest to inform the wasps? Nothing, because they are just bees. But what would they do if they were human? They'd be pretty upset.
Slashdot Mirror
Modern philosophers are still struggling over the problem of how we can definitively know that other people have consciousness, so in my view any discussion on the consciousness of machines should have to get in line and wait. Personally, I find solipsism is a great idea and I just don't understand why more people don't believe in it. :)
Ok. Nice point. Also, the other point about the KKK and such are quite valid. Those are indeed bad, bad people who have well earned their very own thread. Yet, let me "qualify" my earlier statement by pointing out a few examples. I was obviously way too general, and since there is so much evidence indicating that Islamic terrorism is a significant problem today there is no need to be general. Info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_extremist_ter rorism
7 March 2006 - 2006 Varanasi bombings. An attack attributed to Lashkar-e-Toiba by Uttar Pradesh government officials, over 28 killed and over 100 injured, in a series of attacks in the Sankath Mochan Hanuman temple and Cantonment Railway Station in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh government officials.
9 November 2005 - 2005 Amman bombings. Over 60 killed and 115 injured, in a series of coordinated suicide attacks on hotels in Amman, Jordan. Four attackers including a husband and wife team were involved.
29 October 2005 - 29 October 2005 Delhi bombings. Over 60 killed and over 180 injured in a series of three attacks in crowded markets and a bus, just 2 days before the Diwali festival.
23 July 2005 - Bomb attacks at Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort city, at least 64 people killed.
7 July 2005 - Multiple bombings in London Underground. 53 killed by four suicide bombers. Nearly 700 injured.
4 February 2005 - Muslim militants attacked the Christian community in Demsa, Nigeria, killing 36 people, destroying property and displacing an additional 3000 people.
3 September 2004 Many School Children Killed by "Chechen Separatists". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beslan_school_hostage _crisis http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/04/rus sian_s/html/1.stm
11 March 2004 - Multiple bombings on trains near Madrid, Spain. 191 killed, 1460 injured. (alleged link to Al-Qaeda)
16 May 2004- Casablanca Attacks - 4 simultaneous attacks in Casablanca killing 33 civilians (mostly Moroccans) carried by Salafaia Jihadia.
12 October 2002 - Bombing in Bali nightclub. 202 killed, 300 injured.
24 September 2002 - Machine Gun attack on Hindu temple in Ahmedabad, India. 31 dead, 86 injured.[29][30]
7 May 2002 - Bombing in al-Arbaa, Algeria. 49 dead, 117 injured
9 March 2002 - Café suicide bombing in Jerusalem; 11 killed, 54 injured
3 March 2002 - Suicide bomb attack on a Passover Seder in a Hotel in Netanya, Israel. 29 dead, 133 injured
13 December 2001-Suicide attack on India's parliament in New Delhi. Aimed at eliminating the top leadership of India and causing anarchy in the country. Allegedly done by Pakistan-based Islamic terrorists organizations, Jaish-E-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba.
11 September 2001 - September 11, 2001 attacks 4 planes hijacked and crashed into World Trade Center and The Pentagon by 19 hijackers. Nearly 3000 dead.
7 August 1998 - 1998 United States embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya. 225 dead. 4000+ injured
25 June 1996 - Khobar Towers bombing, 20 killed, 372 wounded.
26 February 1993 - World Trade Center bombing. 6 killed.
18 April 1983 - April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. 63 killed.
At least their sharpshooters didn't deliberatly target civilians and specifically civilian babies, as some Moslem terrorists recently have. There should be not grand debate if the Moslem freedom fighters were doing reasonable acts of wartime defense/aggression. Those groups take it for granted that the greater powers do not react with the same disregard for civilians, or else there would be towns and towns and cities of dead people as there were in the time of Rome's conquest when they wanted to supress "upstarts".
It's a terrible shame, but terrorists are often Moslem. Go figure.
Pick a team. The humans win. Animals lose. If you want animals to win it is too bad. Beyond the simplicity of those few true statements, it is an unforgivable shame that a respectable, productive scientist is forced into retirement because of animal activists. The sliding scale of morality and pain and suffering and all of that has a clear line, and that is humans. There is no compelling reason to claim good or evil whatsoever (no definition of it at all), so once you are left with realizing that there is no better thing to do than pick a team...humans, if you are one. Anything less than that is not merely anti-social. What would bees do if one of them left the nest to inform the wasps? Nothing, because they are just bees. But what would they do if they were human? They'd be pretty upset.