Quote:
Originally Posted by BWinmill
There are a couple of big reasons why a book read in school may seem awful, even though they are good:
- Students are asked to read books that they aren't be interested in.
- Students are asked to read books in ways that they aren't interested in.
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When I see 1-star reviews of classic books, I commonly see statements of being made to read it for school. I'd rather schools not try to make students read great literature, as I think it actually discourages reading. If reading isn't enjoyable, people won't read.
I'm reading Moby Dick now, and enjoying it. I recognize that not everyone will like it. On the other hand, I can't get into James Joyce, while others love his books.
Quote:
Originally Posted by taustin
That depends on the part you snipped out - who gets to define harm. Is it the person who owns the robot, or the one who created it? Certainly there are those who believe the the S&M lifestyle is psychologically harmful to both participants. So whose definition gets used? Because there's no definition inherent in the Three Laws. (I believe Asimov addressed that potential for conflict at one point, in a story, didn't he?)
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Well, if the robots are in your BDSM chamber, they presumably have been informed about what the people involve consider to be harm. It is a tricky subject. I think what you would have to do is to ask what a human would do in a given situation, with incomplete knowledge. Also, you would need to factor in that a robot wouldn't have the same self-preservation needs as a human. For example, if a human is witnessing a mugging, intervening would be optional, as the human would be risking their lives. The robot isn't alive, and the robot doesn't have to worry about safety. The robot is sort of like a super-hero, in having powers greater than normal humans, and the issue is more of judgment than ability.
Asimov had a number of stories dealing with the edges of the three laws. One story allowed robots to harm humans because the robots were programmed with a very narrow definition of human.