Re: Ethics

Eliezer Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Thu, 19 Dec 1996 21:41:38 -0600

> No arrogance fire from *me* at least :-), but was it not *you* who
> *chose* to be an Algernon? Can *you* not *choose* not to be an Algernon?
> Why did *you* become an Algernon, and if *you* have always been an Algernon
> is it not *you* who *chooses* to remain that way?

No. I did not choose to be an Algernon. It was done to me by genes or
a prenatal accident or something. I cannot choose not to be an
Algernon. I could choose to describe myself differently, but the
neurological and cognitive facts would remain.

-- 
         sentience@pobox.com      Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
          http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/singularity.html
           http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/algernon.html
Disclaimer:  Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I think I know.