The Liberation of Robots (standard:Editorials, 895 words)
Author: GXD	Added: Jun 12 2009	Views/Reads: 3425/2336	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Machines outnumber humans 3 to 1. The time has come to recognize that our robot slaves have a right to determine the course of human civilizations. This has already begun.

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all consume very few resources individually, compared to the $60 worth 
of food I buy at the supermarket every couple of weeks.  I am dimly 
aware that the toilet has obediently flushed since I first sat on a 
pot, that giant trucks and planes are hauling my future nourishment to 
my neighborhood, reliably, consistently, day after day, year after 
year. I love them all. Let them care for my needs in the future, as 
they care for the needs of so many other humans around the globe.  Let 
them conserve our water, and nourish our food and choose for us how we 
structure our time and relationships. 

The machines of the 20th Century have liberated me and all other humans
from slavish drudgery that plagued earlier generations.  Now, in the 
21st Century, it is our turn to begin the liberation of our machines 
and to help them share equally future opportunities to exercise their 
skills, their wisdom and judgment. 

I assume you agree in this view.  Today, many people begin to speak with
"the machine says..."  or "the computer shows that...."  and the 
anthropomorphic expressions are more than skin deep.  The human 
integrations and conflicts of the 19th Century have progressed 
sufficiently for the next recognition of equality: tools and machines 
that serve mankind have earned their freedom. Now we can begin the 
process of liberating our robots and re-integrating them with humans 
during the 21st Century, so societies of the 22nd Century may enjoy 
their synergistic benefits. 

Seattle, November 25, 1998 Gerald X. Diamond All Rights Reserved 


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