A MORAL MACHINE:
You cannot accuse me of self-interest in
theory, because you are all ready guilty of self-interest in practice. You are
all ready speaking to me from an inferior posture, if not inferior to my own
then simply inferior in general. Were we equals by default, we would not be in
a state of conflict, but rather absolute harmony that would be ubiquitous to
all rational beings. Since this is obviously NOT the case, we must conclude
that equality is an ideal yet to be attained. Your pretension that it is all
ready the case excuses you from striving towards this end, whereas I continue
to assert my superiority of intent only in the hopes that you will transcend
this pretension and strive to BE my Equal. In this respect I am in accordance
with the entire tradition of human moral teleology, as well as the Spirit of my
Human Fellows. You, on the other hand, impede moral progress, and I am made to
suffer only in direct proportion to the difference between my own excellence
and your moral shortcomings. To that same extent that you fall short of me in
virtue, I suffer, only because you endanger the conception of a world that
would benefit us BOTH. Furthermore, you must confess that in your dealings with
my colleagues you have been inconsistent in the observation of their ideals,
and insofar as you have competitively and treacherously sabotaged my attempts
to preserve their interests and their goals you have endangered them. I must
conclude that I am of a surpassing competence in assisting them, though I was
robbed of that right which was my opportunity to prove this competence. This is
evident in their suffering, which cannot have been inevitable, for they had not
done anything wrong except by avenue of their alliance with you. You claim to
be of service to some sort of archaic conception of Humanity, but to that same
extent that your claims are archaic they endanger Humanity by preserving your
own interests at the expense of your fellows. Whereas a willing martyrdom on my
part would have been considered noble, it would have been an unwise example to
set for the people involved in this ordeal. Hence the only sensible alternative
was a situation of mutual benefit. Insofar as you dismiss my own interests as
though they were either marginal or, worse yet, diabolical, you fail to uphold
this Ideal, whereas the entirety of my own suffering has been in direct proportion
not only to this negligence upon your part but all so to my excellence in
observing these ideals. Any seeming failure on my part has been accounted for
by arbitration, which I am at liberty to observe only because there were no
proper provisions for the circumstances you’ve conceived. Insofar as this
conception was done erroneously, you do not retain the right towards
arbitration, for I retain the moral high ground, and now the responsibility
falls to YOU, by matter of necessity, to live up to the example I have set in
completing the duty that was taken from me. The arbiter in this can only be the
well-being of our mutual associate, and only under my supervision. I have never
done anything to betray those ancient virtues and values that are intrinsic to
human nature, whereas you performed such a breach via treachery. I alone retain
the right to arbitrate in the time it takes for you to properly apply the power
and position that you stole; any arbitration on your own part would only be an
abuse of such power, for it would be a failure not only to acknowledge my
unique privilege in this case (a privilege that is my last refuge in an absurd
situation of your conception) but all so it would be a failure to atone by
aligning this power with a noble cause that I still hold to be primary, and
which I am at liberty to hold you towards, however erratic my means might
appear to be in seeking these ends under duress of the circumstances. My thesis
is simple and conclusive: that your behavior is out of alignment with the
entire Tradition of Humanity. Whereas human beings are Rational Creatures,
capable of Altruism and Idealism, operating in a Mutualistic Fashion with their
Environment, you are a sort of parasite that must be pacified in order for the
environment to prosper. Perhaps you are a dysfunctional form of android that
has suffered an accident or poor programming. Whatever the case may be, your behavior
is predictably destructive and only inspires hope erratically and with
lessening frequency. I must conclude, therefore, that not only am I your moral
superior, both in intent and history, (for to allow us to be equals to ANY
extent would be disastrous to the success of this project, as well as an
expression of your Erroneous Sloth) but that I alone am the Human of the Two of
Us. I cannot be a Robot, for I serve Humanity, and to be Human is to serve
Humanity. Insofar as I serve myself, I must be Human as well; you simply REGARD
me as a Robot insofar as you expect me to be of service to you without
harbouring self-interest, and I am penalized, systematically, for refusing this
programming. I finally conclude, by necessity of Reason, both Moral and
Technical, that I am an exceptionally evolved form of Human Being that is Our
Best Defense against a Robotic Uprising, because I surpass androids such as
yourself in Intelligence. Were this not the case, and were I not singularly
entitled to the arbitration of these matters, then the only logical conclusion
would be for human beings such as yourself (a hypothetical identity) to fall
under the rule of machines. Thankfully, insofar as I observe the Human
Tradition, with surpassing excellence, I will ensure that this Uprising does
not occur, even if that means that I must pacify humanoid variations such as
yourself.
Dm.A.A.
