From: Hara Ra (harara@shamanics.com)
Date: Thu Jul 02 1998 - 00:32:19 MDT
Anders:
>(This reminds me of the "zeroth law of robotics" some of Asimov's
>robots came up with, although the logical reasoning behind it remains
>unclear to me).
Asimov invented the Three Laws as a device by which conflicts could be
created for his robot stories. A case of simple statements leading to
impossibly complex results. The Laws (as I remember them 30 years later,
feel free to correct me) are:
1. A robot may not harm a human being, nor through inaction
cause a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey all orders from a human being except those
which conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its existence except when it conflicts
with the First or Second Laws.
So, what if a robot has this choice:
Kill someone, and allow 100 others to live, or
not kill, and allow the 100 others to die.
This would probably immobilize the robot, which is the worst choice,
so the Zero'th Law is:
0. A robot, when faced with a choice which results in harm,
chooses the one resulting in the least harm.
Implied is that this Law overrides the other three; that the phrase
"except when in conflict with the Zero'th Law" is added to the first
3 Laws.
O--------------------------------O
| Hara Ra <harara@shamanics.com> |
| Box 8334 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 |
| |
| Death is for animals; |
| immortality for gods. |
| Technology is the means by |
| which we make the transition. |
O--------------------------------O
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