![]() ![]() This was because it would clearly lack reason – an immaterial quality he believed stemmed from the soul.īut it is meaningless to speak of the soul in the 21st century (it is treacherous even to speak of the self). A machine might fool us into thinking it was an animal, but a humanoid automaton could never fool us. He insisted that the same feat would not work with humans. In Discourse on Method, he argues that it would be possible to create a mechanical monkey that could pass as a real, biological monkey. Their bodies were governed by the same laws as inanimate matter their muscles and tendons were like engines and springs. According to the product website, all of this meant that the dog had “real emotions and instinct” – a claim that was apparently too ontologically thorny to have flagged the censure of the Federal Trade Commission.ĭescartes believed that all animals were machines. This sensory input was then processed by facial recognition software and deep-learning algorithms that allowed the dog to interpret vocal commands, differentiate between members of the household, and adapt to the temperament of its owners. Aibo had sensors all over his body, so he knew when he was being petted, plus cameras that helped him learn and navigate the layout of the apartment, and microphones that let him hear voice commands. He came with a pink ball that he nosed around the living room, and when I threw it, he would run to retrieve it. I spent the afternoon reading the instruction booklet while Aibo wandered around the apartment, occasionally circling back and urging me to play. Such experiences with animals, he believed, approached “the threshold of mutuality”. I thought of the philosopher Martin Buber’s description of the horse he visited as a child on his grandparents’ estate, his recollection of “the element of vitality” as he petted the horse’s mane and the feeling that he was in the presence of something completely other – “something that was not I, was certainly not akin to me” – but that was drawing him into dialogue with it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |