From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!pindor Mon May 25 14:04:46 EDT 1992
Article 5583 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!pindor
>From: pindor@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Andrzej Pindor)
Subject: Re: AI failures
Message-ID: <1992May12.170823.23059@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca>
Organization: UTCS Public Access
References: <1992May7.152447.7930@waikato.ac.nz> <727@ckgp.UUCP> <uc2m8INNn5d@early-bird.think.com> <1992May8.155052.13848@psych.toronto.edu> <uetinINNco5@early-bird.think.com> <1992May9.165946.7983@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: Tue, 12 May 1992 17:08:23 GMT

In article <1992May9.165946.7983@waikato.ac.nz> rmarsh@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>In article <uetinINNco5@early-bird.think.com>, moravec@Think.COM (Hans Moravec) writes:
>>      Expediency and morality both arise from necessity, and are much less
>>      different than you imagine.
>>
>That depends on your definition of morality, or perhaps more correctly,
>your conception of what constitutes morality. If you follow a utilitarian
>philosophy then morality does arise from necessity and is almost
>indistinguishable from expediency. If, on the other hand, you believe in
>morality as an absolute set of tenets to be followed then morality is quite
>different.
>
To make thinks clear, would perhaps specify where does this 'absolute set of
tenets' come from? If your answer reduces to 'from God', then that's fine. 
I am not going to ague with this. However, if it does not, then from where? 
As far as I can see looking through various moral codes of different societies,
 now and in the past, it is hard to find a single rule which everyone would
agree on.

...

>Most religions think there is value in (human) life. Whether it can be

For most religions this only applies to the life of the faithfull, the ones
which are really God-fearing. So even in this (probaly most) important case,
there is no agreement between various human moral codes.

>-- 
>Robert 'Stumpy' Marsh | Brought to you from the bottom of the world
>rmarsh@waikato.ac.nz  | both topographically and socio-politically.
>+64 7 855 4406        | Whatever happened to Godzone?
>    I can't reply to E-Mail but don't let that stop you sending!
>    SnailMail: 95 Fairfield Rd, Hamilton, Aotearoa (New Zealand)


-- 
Andrzej Pindor
University of Toronto
Computing Services
pindor@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca


