From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!zirdum Mon May 25 14:05:00 EDT 1992
Article 5608 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: zirdum@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Antun Zirdum)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: AI failures
Message-ID: <1992May13.044532.3389@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Date: 13 May 92 04:45:32 GMT
References: <1992May12.002440.5501@psych.toronto.edu> <unaphINNpv8@early-bird.think.com> <1992May12.162908.6586@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com>
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Lines: 45

In article <1992May12.162908.6586@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com> petersow@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com (Wayne Peterson) writes:
>Relativism reduces ethics to might makes right.  If I have the power, I
>can do whatever I want, for you have no ethical leg to stand on.
>
>I have a friend who was teaching a high school class.  He asked a class
>to write down their believes on what is right or not.  Being this was the
>70's most responses he received said that it is up to each individual to
>establish what is right or wrong for herself.  There is no absolute ethical
>principle.  I suggested to him, that since now what he does is up to
>him, why not give them all F's.  He did, and needless to say the
>complaints were that he was not being fair.  But you see he had the
>might, so he could do what he wanted.
>
But you see, if the class wanted to they could have
killed him, dumped his body - and no one would be
the wiser as to what grade they got. So you see, he
did not have the power! (And he probably backed out
after teaching them a "lesson")
	So they all compromised that they will
be fair and treat the other how they expect to
be treated.
	As is often said, "Power corrupts, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely!" So true!
Fortunatly for all of us there is no one that
has absolute power. Remember the old game of
Paper/Rock/Scissors, while you may have the 
upper hand in life at the moment, you may not
have it for long. That is why we play the game
as we do, and we pretend that some absolute
morality compells us to behave as we do. If
there is one sure thing in life, it's that
there is NO sure thing! And any intelligent
being will think ahead to the possibilities
and make the best compromise.
>Regards,
>Wayne Peterson
>
>"looking through the shadows, trying to make out forms."


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*   AZ    -- zirdum@ccu.umanitoba.ca                            *
*     " The first hundred years are the hardest! " - W. Mizner  *
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