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Aww cmon it was a good movie anyways. Shad up already!

My take.

1. The Laws of Robotics work best in their expanded version. Wheras a robot must act to benefit humanity, not individual humans. Under this law ' The Zero Law' a robot can even kill if for a greater good. As Asimovs robots are eventually far superior to humans they use this as a work around.
For example a robot can use Law Zero to get around a whimsical but lawful order to self destruct if it considers that its continued existence is of greater benefit to humanity.

2. As robots will in all likelihood be used initially as military tools the laws may not ever get implemented.

Orlanth wrote:My take.

1. The Laws of Robotics work best in their expanded version. Wheras a robot must act to benefit humanity, not individual humans. Under this law ' The Zero Law' a robot can even kill if for a greater good. As Asimovs robots are eventually far superior to humans they use this as a work around.
For example a robot can use Law Zero to get around a whimsical but lawful order to self destruct if it considers that its continued existence is of greater benefit to humanity.

2. As robots will in all likelihood be used initially as military tools the laws may not ever get implemented.

1) Wouldn't happen in Asimov's universe. There was a strong Frankenstein complex working against positronic robots, to the point where for many years you were unable to posess robots on Earth at all (presumbaly aside from U.S. Robots factory and in-transit to off-world destinations. If they hadn't been programmed to value human life over even their own existance, U.S. Robots would either have been sued out of existance, or burned by an angry mob...quite possibly with military support.

In the real world, on the other hand, all bets are off.

2) No argument there.

Interesting dsicussion.

After the bit about "acting to be this way" and "being this way" are not the same thing, it occurred to me there are several personallity disorders that describe exactly this.

Patients with these conditions often learn how to react / act "properly" in situations, to look as though they are empathising, or what have you. They still do not actually feel empathy, or whatever is being expressed, but they do act the part to better fit in.

A friend of mine has something like this, and she went to class / therapy to basically learn (be programmed) how to respond / react / act in various events and social circumstances.

Are these people not alive? Is there no true sentience? Perhaps my friend is really a robot?