Thread: When would you consider robots alive?

Originally Posted by Holiace

I forgot the main thing: It must be able to learn on it's own. Self learning. and non dependent on humans to survive.

by the definition of self learning, nearly half of all organic life on earth would not be alive - every tree, every insect on earth is non-living

you guys really need to look at organic life as a whole and see the common characteristics information retrieval IS important

higher conscious living things retrieve information through memories

lower conscious living things retrieve information only through DNA (instinct).

all live however, reacts to the environment and practices self-preservation

computers don't react to the environment, they simply do what we program them to do. computers don't practice self-preservation, they only practice self-preservation if we make them practice it.

when a computer responds to the environment and practices self-preservation without the intervention of a human giving commands - then we can begin to talk about it being alive

heres a good example. when your computer searches the net for an anti-virus program and downloads it without you knowing or asking, and without a third party human behind the strings. yes, this mechanism could have already been built in and programmed in a computer by a human early on - but it still counts - after all primitive is ruled by their own programming in DNA

again, humans are more interested when machines show forms of higher consciousness. and I don't think we are going to see this in machines any time soon, because science lacks understanding of consciousness to begin with.

it requires free will. the ability to choose to learn from something, or even, to choose not to learn.

Originally Posted by juroara

by the definition of self learning, nearly half of all organic life on earth would not be alive - every tree, every insect on earth is non-living

Adaptation is 'self learning'. Are you saying that trees do not adapt?

Yes robots are alive. The definition of alive is anything with a function.

Originally Posted by Dreamworld

Yes robots are alive. The definition of alive is anything with a function.

No its not. Nothing has an intrinsic function, (or everything does; those are the only two options)