Abstract
This chapter investigates the notion of ‘machine consciousness ’ and the concept of a ‘robot life’. The chapter focuses on current debates surrounding the ‘hard problem of consciousness’, and the potential link between machines and consciousness in science and technology. This chapter also deals with the significant ethical implications of the development of machine life , including the development of autonomous weaponry or ‘killer robots’ , as well as the potential loss of an ‘essential’ humanity. Finally, this chapter examines the persistence of the ‘Frankenstein Complex ’, before challenging commonplace assumptions about the malevolent potential of a robot species.
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Notes
- 1.
See ‘Factory worker killed by rogue robot, says widowed husband in lawsuit’, News.com (17 March 2017), http://www.news.com.au/technology/factory-worker-killed-by-rogue-robot-says-widowed-husband-in-lawsuit/news-story/13242f7372f9c4614bcc2b90162bd749 (accessed 26 July 2017).
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Lyons, S. (2018). Machine Consciousness: Ethics and Implications. In: Death and the Machine. Palgrave Pivot, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0335-7_3
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