More on machine-kin?

QUOTE (WhisperInTheDark @ October 04, 2008 01:00 am)

QUOTE (Terro)

Some believe that a Human has a soul upon birth and others believe at the moment of conception and completion of 23 chromosome pairs.

Is the combine alive once assembled and the ignition turned? Is there a central component that houses its being? Essentially what takes it over that step between a bunch of parts to being sentient in your opinion?

This kind of debate has been ongoing for centuries. What draws a soul/spirit to a body? Where is that soul/spirit housed? When does it arrive? Scientists and theologians have debated and disagreed, each have drawn their own conclusions, which the other cannot accept.
I have a feeling that it is a debate that will continue for many more centuries without ever coming to a conclusion that all sides can agree on.

This is another God versus no-God, or essence versus displaced person debate isn't it? Choice versus random happening.

If you believe in God then he chooses, he draws the spirit/soul to the body. If you don't believe then it is random.
If you believe in essences then you choose to put your soul/spirit into a body and if you believe in displacement then once again it is merely a random thing.

I wonder that I have only just begun to realise that so many things in existence come down to what you believe decides your fate. Someone's freedom of choice versus the random happening no-one could plan for.

I have heard lots of mechanics talk about unexplainable glitches in anything from a scooter to a Boeing 747. there is nothing wrong, they are just things you notice as the machine carries on about it's business.
I have experienced cars changing radio stations on their own too and seen Tractors that look like they are so badly corroded and beyond repair that they should never work again, just spring into action the second the ignition is turned on.

I have to say though it is usually the older machines that show these signs almost as if it has taken them a while to learn to control it.
There are some old steam winches in one of the quarries nearby that you can hear working occasionally. They have been physically quiet for 70 years or more now. I wonder if they would like to fire up again sometime.
People see ghost trains and buses and stuff sometimes too maybe those are similar beings to BC.

I find the existence of sentient non organic beings to be well within my bounds of explanation. What's more I am comfortable with that knowledge too.

Wild.

To be honest I'd have no way of explaining it at all. I can't even say I understand it.
But I'm quite comfortable with it.
There are so many things in the universe I don't understand and can't explain. Actually there are many millions of them.
But that's OK too, I've never wanted to know absolutely everything anyway.