
Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs
The Question of Alien Minds
David McFarland(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 17. April 2008
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-19-921929-2 (ISBN)
Description
When we interact with animals, we intuitively read thoughts and feelings into their expressions and actions - it is easy to suppose that they have minds like ours. And as technology grows more sophisticated, we might soon find ourselves interpreting the behaviour of robots too in human terms. It is natural for us to humanize other beings in this way, but is it philosophically or scientifically justifiable? How different might the minds of animals or machines be to ours? As David McFarland asks here, could robots ever feel guilty, and is it correct to suppose your dog can truly be happy? Can we ever know what non-human minds might be like, or will the answer be forever out of our reach? These are central and important questions in the philosophy of mind, and this book is an accessible exploration of the differing philosophical positions that can be taken on the issue. McFarland looks not only at philosophy, but also examines new evidence from the science of animal behaviour plus the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence, to show how many different - and sometimes surprising - conclusions we can draw about the nature of 'alien minds'.
Reviews / Votes
`Cutting edge.'financial times. |d 08.03.08
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Illustrations
4 black and white diagrams
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 148 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
462 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-921929-2 (9780199219292)
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Book
03/2009
Oxford University Press
€9.91
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Content
Preface Traffic robot; 1. Mindless machines; 2. Design of animals and robots; 3. Interpreting behaviour; 4. Beyond automata; 5. Mental possibilities; 6. The feeling of being; 7. The material mind; 8. Mental autonomy; Epilogue The Alien Mind