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When Asimov wrote about robots, he imagined them being fully sentient way before getting any legal rights (see e.g. "Evidence"). I don't think before this I wou

When Asimov wrote about robots, he imagined them being fully sentient way before getting any legal rights (see e.g. "Evidence"). I don't think before this I would have ever bet on the process going the other way around...

andy_ppp 11y ago
Companies have more rights than human beings now and have done for a long time; I'd suggest that robots also will be considered more important for the whole of society and will therefore get considerably more rights than you might at first expect. Adam Curtis' documentary becomes ever more relevant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of_Loving_Grace_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_o...
- true_religion 11y ago
  What rights do companies have that human beings do not?
  - andy_ppp 11y ago
    They have a favourable taxation system (I'd love to be able to only pay tax on the money I haven't spent; instead I pay on my revenue...). A quick Google so far reveals: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/report/2012/08/13/11974/big-business-taking-over-state-supreme-courts/ https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/repo... http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/06/19/corporations-over-people-again/ http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/06/19/corporations-over-peo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood Political contributions and lobbying, things like the TPP, TTIP, the IMF, etc. etc. are all pretty much set up to think about businesses over human lives. EDIT: This is a good one... http://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-become-people-excavating-the-legal-evolution http://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-b...
    - make3 11y ago
      the American political contributions system gives way to much power to corporations & needs to be fixed
  - alanwatts 11y ago
    Incorporation is a legal technique that greatly the personal legal risks of the individuals who run the corporation. >The massive reduction in risk that is inherent in the development of the modern corporation has been far from fully appreciated. -John Kenneth Galbraith As shown in 2008, globalized corporations are able to receive nationalized bailouts even though they are not subject to the same national restrictions of citizens. Though they don't always get away with it, large corporations such as Lehman are able to commit massive fraud and face no jail time. Other multinational corporations like HSBC are able to launder money for drug cartels and terrorists but face no jail time. See also the LIBOR interest rate fraud. No jail time for anyone involved. Bookkeeping fraud is just the tip of the iceberg. If you are interested in more nefarious activity, like that of the human rights abuses of Shell Oil which runs Nigeria, there is plenty of information out there about it. Slavery, environmental destruction, torture, execution and when any attention is brought to it, the usual punishment is a small fine which is far less than the money made by engaging in these activities.
  - Retric 11y ago
    Well, they De facto get to kill people.

andy_ppp 11y ago

Companies have more rights than human beings now and have done for a long time; I'd suggest that robots also will be considered more important for the whole of society and will therefore get considerably more rights than you might at first expect. Adam Curtis' documentary becomes ever more relevant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of_Loving_Grace_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_o...

true_religion 11y ago
What rights do companies have that human beings do not?
- andy_ppp 11y ago
  They have a favourable taxation system (I'd love to be able to only pay tax on the money I haven't spent; instead I pay on my revenue...). A quick Google so far reveals: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/report/2012/08/13/11974/big-business-taking-over-state-supreme-courts/ https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/repo... http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/06/19/corporations-over-people-again/ http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/06/19/corporations-over-peo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood Political contributions and lobbying, things like the TPP, TTIP, the IMF, etc. etc. are all pretty much set up to think about businesses over human lives. EDIT: This is a good one... http://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-become-people-excavating-the-legal-evolution http://www.npr.org/2014/07/28/335288388/when-did-companies-b...
  - make3 11y ago
    the American political contributions system gives way to much power to corporations & needs to be fixed
- alanwatts 11y ago
  Incorporation is a legal technique that greatly the personal legal risks of the individuals who run the corporation. >The massive reduction in risk that is inherent in the development of the modern corporation has been far from fully appreciated. -John Kenneth Galbraith As shown in 2008, globalized corporations are able to receive nationalized bailouts even though they are not subject to the same national restrictions of citizens. Though they don't always get away with it, large corporations such as Lehman are able to commit massive fraud and face no jail time. Other multinational corporations like HSBC are able to launder money for drug cartels and terrorists but face no jail time. See also the LIBOR interest rate fraud. No jail time for anyone involved. Bookkeeping fraud is just the tip of the iceberg. If you are interested in more nefarious activity, like that of the human rights abuses of Shell Oil which runs Nigeria, there is plenty of information out there about it. Slavery, environmental destruction, torture, execution and when any attention is brought to it, the usual punishment is a small fine which is far less than the money made by engaging in these activities.
- Retric 11y ago
  Well, they De facto get to kill people.