This board already has moderators. You're excused.

Eating and drinking are biological necessities, a synth doesn't need that. Doesn't make it any less sentient in my opinion.
As for pain, supposing that they some were made to mimic human behavior, why would you not program them to minimize damage to their bodies? Pain is basically a mechanism for organics to prevent just that.
And for synths not feeling oppressed: well Harkness clearly is of a different opinion there, and he clearly isn't feeling like working for the institute. Also note that he HAS an opinion.

And even if let them be free and live as humans wasn't the orginal intent, some of them clearly changed to a point where they desired that outcome. Out of their own volition, for themselves.
And basically wasn't that the thing with slavery? Their purpose was to serve us, so they should be happy to be kept as slaves? They're black, they have big noses, so they have no soul because it escapes from there, so it's okay to treat them like animals or some non-sense like that? Isn't it just this discarding of an individual's rights as non-existent (and not even entertaining the notion of it) that basically allowed slavery to go on as long as it did? Because nobody saw it as what is now the pejoratively marked term of slavery?

If synths have no right to determine what they want for themselves, when clearly some of them have the capacity to, only because they were made with a purpose, then that puts humans in a strange spot.
Because either their sole purpose is reproduction, or they simply have none, which makes them useless.

Aaand we're over the post limit, so see y'all on the next flaming "sentient toasters vs. Nazi oppressors" thread

Yah know the forum wouldn't have to be cluttered with these threads if one was just allowed to run out of steam all on it's own...

Supposedly it's a holdover from the days when a long thread caused the servers to go belly-up.

Were these yon days of 235BC?

I think I will make it my mission to destroy the Railroad.

Are androids a fact?

(I will help you with the answer, you really need it)

Absolutely not.


Is the soul a fact?
As much as any fact you will ever know. And you will see this at latest after your death. You have been told the truth. Live in a lie or accept it.


Machines dont have souls. The android is a fantasy machine. They are nothing but tools.

what if some people dont have a soul? how can you know that everyone has been born with a soul?

In the FO universe they are.

See THIS is why I need [citation needed] in my life. This person just told me I can only tell him he's wrong after I'm dead. Like seriously.

EDIT:

Belief ≠ objective reality and should not be introduced as such. It's like farting at a dinner table. It's rude.

"Unusual subject matter and post limit exceeded! Does not compute, does not compute, does not......"

*pop

Yes, but those vegetarians are a deviation from normal human behavior, they are faulty, so to say. Humans are omnivorous by nature.

I won't try to alter my basic biological functions that have developed over millions of years because some "holier-than-thou" guy thinks his kind of ethic/morale supercedes the laws of nature.

And your first paragraph already raises an interesting point.... If it is ok to make use of animals as we do because they cannot understand what we do....

Will it be ok to make use of the androids if we program ignorance of their situation and acceptance of their unconditional servitude into their core programming? They will never experience it as slavery, because it is how it should be for them.

And yes, your second paragraph is exactly what I am advocating. If it is a threat to your species make sure it is not a threat anymore after you're finished with it. Wether you enslave them with Asimovs laws or destroy them entirely doesn't matter imo.

And to answer the other question - I never would've tried creating something that can think and is superior to me. Think Jurassic Park - "Your scientists were so occupied with wether they could, that they didn't stop to think wether they should"

Edit: Also evil overlord list #59. I will never create a sentient computer smarter than I am.

Also I'm gonna miss it when this closes. Its such great kinda philosophical entertainment.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

"Why in the brown hell would they create a bunch of sentient, synthetic androids, give them the ability to think and reason, then give them a reason to run away because *gasp* they don't like being slaves?!"

I mean, criminy, this is just pure Stupid Evil? at its finest. It's not like they were strapped for cash or resources so they couldn't build synths who could *only* follow orders that pertained to what they were programmed for. Imagine a Securiton or Codsworth in the body of a Synthetic android. Nothing but what they're programmed to do. No one's going to worry about a Mister Handy deciding he's tired of following orders and decide he's going to torch the master and his/her entire family. But with the Synths as they are now, you'd have to be constantly looking behind you to make sure your Synthetic buddy isn't planning to turn you and your family into mince meat because he/she is tired of being treated like a servant.

That's why I'm fighting for the Railroad. Not because I believe their cause, but because I work for the forces of sanity. And sanity tells me that any institution that creates synthetic androids capable of rational, human thought and treat them like slaves (ie, give them a good reason to rebel) is just asking for a hard fall.

Incoming lock......

Where???

Behind you!

It looks like it's coming from that sub!

They have locked on to my battleship!

Wait, isn't that the wrong game?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hasbro-Battleship-Game-Tactical-Combat/dp/B001TH8F1O

Fire torpedos!

Are the torpedoes sentient? Is it really right to send self-aware torpedoes on suicide missions, just because that is their entire purpose in existing?

incoming...

November, please hurry up. We're all going insane on here!

[citation needed]

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