Article View: mod.comp-soc
Article #107Re: The Neutrality of Technology
From: taylor
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1986 18:11
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1986 18:11
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1538 bytes
This article is from seismo!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka and was received on Sat Jul 19 05:01:44 1986 I am inclined to say that "good" and "bad" are applicable to an object whenever it acts on its own. If a bulldozer spontaneously starts up and levels half of Manhatten, the bulldozer is itself bad. Of course, it does no good to "blame" or "punish" it; it has no understanding. A sentient computer [program], on the other hand, does have such an understanding, and it may well be appropriate to treat it much as one treats a human criminal if it behaves badly. I'm not going to get into whether to blame the program or the machine -- this is a more appropriate topic for philosophy. However, blaming the computer does not let the programmers off the hook: responsibility is infinitely divisible without diminuation. Frank Adams ihnp4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka Multimate International 52 Oakland Ave North E. Hartford, CT 06108
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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utcs!mnetor!seismo!nbires!hao!hplabs!hplabsc!taylor From: taylor@hplabsc.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.comp-soc Subject: Re: The Neutrality of Technology Message-ID: <482@hplabsc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 19-Jul-86 14:11:31 EDT Article-I.D.: hplabsc.482 Posted: Sat Jul 19 14:11:31 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jul-86 06:41:34 EDT Reply-To: seismo!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories Lines: 18 Approved: taylor@hplabs Reference: <445@hplabsc.UUCP>