The ethics of uploading the human mind to a computer and transplanting it into something else is something that humanity will need to figure out eventually in our world. With the advancements in computer technology and enhanced artificial intelligence, the age of robots like synths is closer than we think. Francis Fukuyama, a philosopher that sat as a member of George Bush’s Council on Bioethics, believes that humans and human dignity have a “Factor X.” This Factor X is described as “Some essential human quality underneath [all contingent characteristics] that is worthy of a certain minimal level of respect (Checketts, 4).” He also goes on to explain this Factor X, “Cannot be reduced to the possession of moral choice, or reason, or language,
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The anti-synth rhetoric in most large settlements is quite vulgar at times. Random citizens in one of the games major settlements after the Institute has been destroyed expresses their happiness by saying, “Be good to get to work and not have to worry about synths every other day” (Bethesda). This is an example of explicit bias, which is directly related to implicit bias. Implicit bias “refers to the attitude or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner” (Staats, 6). Explicit biases however, “can be consciously detected and reported.” This definition means that the person with an explicit bias knows that they have this bias and can control what they say in do in regards to their bias, like saying that a synth is an abomination. That is explicit bias. The bias against synths shows us a bit how biases tend to form in our real world. In the game world most of the bias against synths is explicit. It’s hard to convey implicit biases over a video game correctly because a character’s implicit bias, just like our real world, might be hidden away and only come out very rarely, or only in the use of stereotypes. It’s much easier to convey a character’s emotion and feelings towards a group by having them say something, and not an action that may be easily missed by the player. In the Commonwealth saying all …show more content…
The author is suggesting that events that happen in early childhood may contribute to this bias. In the wasteland it’s more than likely this could be something traumatic that happened that involved synths in a very negative way, a kidnapping, settlement razing, you name it. In our world it’s more often than not the parents instilling these biases in them from a young age. I found a video from an ABC piece from 2010 talking to a kid who is raised by a member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. When the reporter asks the seven-year-old boy who goes to hell, the boy responds, “Gays, Fags, Hundreds ... of Jews” (ABC). It’s disgusting that people would instill that hate into someone so impressionable. Discrimination is learned. It’s not something we, or the people of the Commonwealth, are born with. We might be told as kids to avoid a certain group, or that a certain race of people. Just like that child raised the video there are kids being taught that hating synths is right. Natalie, a young girl who helps hand out newspapers has a very casual response to the player when they asks about synths she says, “The Institute has been making them for years. The old ones are sort of human-looking, but you can tell they're robots. You see a bunch of them out there in the Commonwealth. I heard
The anti-synth rhetoric in most large settlements is quite vulgar at times. Random citizens in one of the games major settlements after the Institute has been destroyed expresses their happiness by saying, “Be good to get to work and not have to worry about synths every other day” (Bethesda). This is an example of explicit bias, which is directly related to implicit bias. Implicit bias “refers to the attitude or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner” (Staats, 6). Explicit biases however, “can be consciously detected and reported.” This definition means that the person with an explicit bias knows that they have this bias and can control what they say in do in regards to their bias, like saying that a synth is an abomination. That is explicit bias. The bias against synths shows us a bit how biases tend to form in our real world. In the game world most of the bias against synths is explicit. It’s hard to convey implicit biases over a video game correctly because a character’s implicit bias, just like our real world, might be hidden away and only come out very rarely, or only in the use of stereotypes. It’s much easier to convey a character’s emotion and feelings towards a group by having them say something, and not an action that may be easily missed by the player. In the Commonwealth saying all …show more content…
The author is suggesting that events that happen in early childhood may contribute to this bias. In the wasteland it’s more than likely this could be something traumatic that happened that involved synths in a very negative way, a kidnapping, settlement razing, you name it. In our world it’s more often than not the parents instilling these biases in them from a young age. I found a video from an ABC piece from 2010 talking to a kid who is raised by a member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. When the reporter asks the seven-year-old boy who goes to hell, the boy responds, “Gays, Fags, Hundreds ... of Jews” (ABC). It’s disgusting that people would instill that hate into someone so impressionable. Discrimination is learned. It’s not something we, or the people of the Commonwealth, are born with. We might be told as kids to avoid a certain group, or that a certain race of people. Just like that child raised the video there are kids being taught that hating synths is right. Natalie, a young girl who helps hand out newspapers has a very casual response to the player when they asks about synths she says, “The Institute has been making them for years. The old ones are sort of human-looking, but you can tell they're robots. You see a bunch of them out there in the Commonwealth. I heard