What is Essential to Being Human?: Can AI Robots Not Share It? (The Future of the Human)

This book asks whether there exists an essence exclusive to human beings despite their continuous enhancement – a nature that can serve to distinguish humans from artificially intelligent robots, now and in the foreseeable future. Considering what might qualify as such an essence, this volume demonstrates that the abstract question of ‘essentialism’ underpins a range of social issues that are too often considered in isolation and usually justify ‘robophobia’, rather than ‘robophilia’, in terms of morality, social relations and legal rights. Any defence of human exceptionalism requires clarity about what property(ies) ground it and an explanation of why these cannot be envisaged as being acquired (eventually) by AI robots. As such, an examination of the conceptual clarity of human essentialism and the role it plays in our thinking about dignity, citizenship, civil rights and moral worth is undertaken in this volume. __What is Essential to Being Human?__ will appeal to scholars of social theory and philosophy with interests in human nature, ethics and artificial intelligence. This book asks whether there exists an essence exclusive to human beings despite their continuous enhancement – a nature that can serve to distinguish humans from artificially intelligent robots, now and in the foreseeable future. Considering what might qualify as such an essence, this volume demonstrates that the abstract question of ‘essentialism’ underpins a range of social issues that are too often considered in isolation and usually justify ‘robophobia’, rather than ‘robophilia’, in terms of morality, social relations and legal rights. Any defence of human exceptionalism requires clarity about what property(ies) ground it and an explanation of why these cannot be envisaged as being acquired (eventually) by AI robots. As such, an examination of the conceptual clarity of human essentialism and the role it plays in our thinking about dignity, citizenship, civil rights and moral worth is undertaken in this volume. What is Essential to Being Human? will appeal to scholars of social theory and philosophy with interests in human nature, ethics and artificial intelligence Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of illustrations 8 List of contributors 9 1. Introduction 12 2. On robophilia and robophobia 37 3. Sapience and sentience: A reply to Porpora 51 4. Relational essentialism 67 5. Artificial intelligence: Sounds like a friend, looks like a friend, is it a friend? 85 6. Growing up in a world of platforms: What changes and what doesn’t? 114 7. On macro-politics of knowledge for collective learning in the age of AI-boosted Big Relational Tech 143 8. Can AIs do politics? 169 9. Inhuman enhancements?: When human enhancements alienate from self, others, society, and nature 185 10. The social meanings of perfection: Human self-understanding in a post-human society 208 Index 225 1,Introduction;,2,On,robophilia,and,robophobia;,3,Sapience,and,sentience;,4,Relational,essentialism;,5,Artificial,intelligence;,6,Growing,up,in,a,world,of,platforms;,7,On,macro-politics,of,knowledge,for,collective,learning,in,the,age,of,AI-boosted,Big,Relational,Tech;,8,Can,AIs,do,politics?;,9,Inhuman,enhancements?;,10,The,social,meanings,of,perfection 1 Introduction,2 On robophilia and robophobia,3 Sapience and sentience,4 Relational essentialism,5 Artificial intelligence,6 Growing up in a world of platforms,7 On macro-politics of knowledge for collective learning in the age of AI-boosted Big Relational Tech,8 Can AIs do politics?,9 Inhuman enhancements?,10 The social meanings of perfection "This book asks whether there exists an essence exclusive to human beings despite their continuous enhancement - a nature which can serve to distinguish humans from artificially intelligent robots, now and in the foreseeable future. Considering what might qualify as such an essence, this volume demonstrates that the abstract question of 'essentialism' underpins a range of social issues that are too often considered in isolation and usually justify 'Robophobia', rather than 'Robophilia,' in terms of morality, social relations and legal rights. Any defense of human exceptionalism requires clarity about what property(ies) ground it and an explanation of why these cannot be envisaged as being acquired (eventually) by AI robots. As such, an examination of the conceptual clarity of human essentialism and the role it plays in our thinking about dignity, citizenship, civil rights and moral worth is undertaken in this volume. What is Essential to Being Human? will appeal to scholars of social theory and philosophy with interests in human nature, ethics and artificial intelligence"-- Provided by publisher This book asks whether there exists an essence exclusive to human beings that serves to distinguish them from artificially intelligent robots, and considers the extent to which human essentialism might justify the denial to advanced AI robots of legal and citizenship rights.