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Christian Tractatus

(Text as at 12/08/2007 10:17:46)

In the age of computers, it is possible to think of living creatures, including man, as complex machines. It may be difficult to imagine a machine being conscious, but this statement says nothing apart from describing the limits of our imagination.

1. The moral consequences of this state of affairs are not relevant to whether or not it is the case. It is possible to make a case that even machines ought to obey some moral code if they value their continued existence, and therefore could become moral beings.