Summer is almost over for me (school starts next week), but I have one more trip planned: I'm thrilled to be going to Seattle tomorrow to attend the 2025 Worldcon (World Science Fiction Convention)! Worldcon will take place at the Seattle Convention Center Aug. 13-17, 2025.
I will be on one panel Wednesday evening and giving one talk on Saturday afternoon, both in part through my role as President of the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society. Both are also in honor of my late friend and colleague Anand Vaidya, especially his work on artificial intelligence and moral standing. I'm hoping to someday teach a course on AI in science fiction and philosophy, so Worldcon will be a good step into that process.
My friend and cofounder of the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society, science fiction author Manjula Menon, will be on the first panel with me. She's also on a whole bunch of other panels, including one on "Artificial Honesty," South Asian speculative fiction, and more! See the full schedule for details.
More specific information on my panels can be found below. Maybe I will see you in Seattle!
Room 423-424, Wed. 7:30–8:30 p.m.
HAL, Data, and Deckard might have thoughts. Given the rapid progression of the technology powering artificial intelligence, contemporary philosophers have increasingly become interested in the topic. This panel is in honor of the work of the philosopher Anand Vaidya.
Lilith Acadia (M), David Walton, Ethan Mills, Manjula Menon
Could Robots have Rights? An Intersection of Science Fiction and Philosophy
Academic
Room 320, Sat. 1:30–2 p.m.
Could robots have rights? Or, to quote the title of a paper by Anand Vaidya, “Can machines have moral standing?” This talk will summarize Vaidya’s paper in which he argues that machines can have moral standing in light of his claim that sentience is not a necessary condition for moral standing. The panel will think through the paper’s examples of zombies, Vulcans, and robots from a science-fictional point of view informed by sources like The Walking Dead, Star Trek, and Blade Runner. Also under consideration will be Vaidya’s mention of Buddhism, engaging a deeper analysis of the role of suffering in Buddhist philosophy. The panel will end with questions designed to elicit engagement from the audience: Do philosophers’ uses of zombies, Vulcans, and robots make sense to us as science fiction fans? What can non-Western traditions like Buddhism and Jainism add to these conversations? Could robots, AI chatbots, machines, animals, or aliens have, at least, some rights? Does science fiction help us find the answers, or at least help us ask better questions? This presentation will be organized by the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society, of which Vaidya was a co-founder. The goal of this panel is to continue Vaidya’s conversation in his honor.
Ethan Mills
No comments:
Post a Comment