From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sun Oct 22 2000 - 21:20:18 MDT
Adrian Tymes wrote:
>
> Samantha Atkins wrote:
> > Adrian Tymes wrote:
> > > ...at which point (including time to travel to those probes), they
> > > become part of the latest-generation wave. Assuming it's not less
> > > resource-costly to scrap or ignore 'em, in which case any "colonists"
> > > on said probe would be rendered obsolete by being behind the leading
> > > edge of colonization.
> >
> > And if the conlonist are human or equivalent with their own plans,
> > rights (presumably) and so on? You hopefully would not casually
> > "obsolete" them.
>
> But I'm not there. I'm irrelevant to this. It's up to the colonists
> with the advanced tech on the scene to decide whether they wish to spend
> the resources to aid their fellow, but lower tech, colonists. There
> could be any number of political considerations, and thus, no guarantee
> that those on the first wave would or would not be "obsoleted" and left
> behind...or even "scrapped", their lives snuffed out so their bodies and
> equipment may serve the faster (and probably more powerful) latecomers.
Actually, "you" are there. Or whatever you and others of your kind
become. The decision will be up to us at some point. And seeing it
that way brings home the fact that intelligent beings will face some
moral, ethical questions when they run into this situation.
Now it might well be that nothing could be done due to the constraints
present. But you don't irrevocably "scrap" living sentiences unless you
have no morals at all. Upgrade maybe, but not scrap.
>
> Scary, maybe. But, barring any physical requirements for specific
> societal values among advanced civilizations, there's no way to prove
> that the good or the bad must happen.
Values and morals are not simplistically dependent only on physical
requirements. We choose the values we live by although some part of
what we value is determined to some extent by the types of creatures we
are. But we are in the process of re-writing the types of creatures we
are. So again, it is up to us what we decide to be and why.
- samantha
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