http://androideducation.com/index.php/2010/02/07/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-to-giving-your-android-free-will-why-would-you-or-would-you-not/ Technical blog for lovers of Android apps & code Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:50:07 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://androideducation.com/index.php/2010/02/07/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-to-giving-your-android-free-will-why-would-you-or-would-you-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2806 SurrepTR Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:34:07 +0000 http://androideducation.com/index.php/2010/02/07/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-to-giving-your-android-free-will-why-would-you-or-would-you-not/#comment-2806 disadvantage would be the android might not like you and do things that you might not like. Advantage would be that it would be awesome! disadvantage would be the android might not like you and do things that you might not like. Advantage would be that it would be awesome!

]]> http://androideducation.com/index.php/2010/02/07/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-to-giving-your-android-free-will-why-would-you-or-would-you-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2805 hippo Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:13:15 +0000 http://androideducation.com/index.php/2010/02/07/what-are-the-advantages-disadvantages-to-giving-your-android-free-will-why-would-you-or-would-you-not/#comment-2805 BF Skinner believed free will was a myth, so really, he would think we're all androids who can do nothing more than respond to the world around us. But what IS free will? How would that be defined? Probably in the ability to be reinforced, to feel rewarded by our decisions and our control over them. The disadvantage to giving something like an android free will would be the nuances of what would reinforce him. What if the android was reinforced by killing babies? Certainly not a pleasant prospect! Of course, the advantage would be that it could make a [reinforcing] decision on its own without instruction from its creator. It would, however, involve creating a program that would have it be reinforced by the things that are considered "morally good." I would not make an android with free will. The android would probably be better at many things (such as stronger) than I am, and would not want it to have more control over my life than me. BF Skinner believed free will was a myth, so really, he would think we’re all androids who can do nothing more than respond to the world around us.
But what IS free will? How would that be defined? Probably in the ability to be reinforced, to feel rewarded by our decisions and our control over them.
The disadvantage to giving something like an android free will would be the nuances of what would reinforce him. What if the android was reinforced by killing babies? Certainly not a pleasant prospect!
Of course, the advantage would be that it could make a [reinforcing] decision on its own without instruction from its creator. It would, however, involve creating a program that would have it be reinforced by the things that are considered “morally good.”
I would not make an android with free will. The android would probably be better at many things (such as stronger) than I am, and would not want it to have more control over my life than me.

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