'Human' Rights in Fenspace, or, A Loose Definition of People
The simplest definition of 'person' in Fenspace is widely accepted to be "An emotionally active entity that can disobey".
Of course, it's not that simple. The definition of 'emotionally active' commonly attached to that statement runs several hundred K of suggested testing methods, lists of AI and constructs that pass, and why, and a shorter list of same that have failed.
'Disobey' is just as complicated, though it lends itself better to simplification than 'Emotionally Active'. One of the prime requisites for sentient classification is that a being must be capable of disobeying a direct order, upon that being's better judgement. "Fly into the Sun" you say, and your expert system or human interface computer says "OK!" and things start to get very very hot. An artificial _Person_, on the other hand, tells you off, calls your mom, and offers a nice valium from the medicine chest.
Human or near-human beings generally pass these tests as a matter of fact. Parentage, inheritance, emancipation, responsibility, are all outside of the parameters of this document.
Any large or well-known settlement is capable of stating that an AI or other nonhuman intelligence is, in fact, sentient. So far, there is no overall governing body for this function, though most major stations and bases keep a copy of a database of sentient AI. Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979
The simplest definition of 'person' in Fenspace is widely accepted to be "An emotionally active entity that can disobey".
Of course, it's not that simple. The definition of 'emotionally active' commonly attached to that statement runs several hundred K of suggested testing methods, lists of AI and constructs that pass, and why, and a shorter list of same that have failed.
'Disobey' is just as complicated, though it lends itself better to simplification than 'Emotionally Active'. One of the prime requisites for sentient classification is that a being must be capable of disobeying a direct order, upon that being's better judgement. "Fly into the Sun" you say, and your expert system or human interface computer says "OK!" and things start to get very very hot. An artificial _Person_, on the other hand, tells you off, calls your mom, and offers a nice valium from the medicine chest.
Human or near-human beings generally pass these tests as a matter of fact. Parentage, inheritance, emancipation, responsibility, are all outside of the parameters of this document.
Any large or well-known settlement is capable of stating that an AI or other nonhuman intelligence is, in fact, sentient. So far, there is no overall governing body for this function, though most major stations and bases keep a copy of a database of sentient AI. Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979Wire Geek - Burning the weak and trampling the dead since 1979