Is Man a Robot

Geoff Simons

ISBN 10: 0471911062 / ISBN 13: 9780471911067

Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Publishing, New York, 1986

About this Item

Dust jacket: Light rubbing, creasing to the laminate on rear cover. Preserved in a removable jacket protector. Overall jacket condition is Very Good Minus. Book: Black leatherette binding. Very clean condition throughout. Scarce. Overall book condition is Very Good Plus. Size: 5.5 x 8.75 inches (14 x 22 cm). Hardback. Printed pages: xvi, 316. Seller Inventory # 1189E255

Bibliographic Details

Title: Is Man a Robot

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Publishing, New York

Publication Date: 1986

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good Plus

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition.

About this title

Synopsis:

The modern robot is developing immense functional versatility and - many would say - powers of judgement, reason, and the ability to discriminate between behavioural options (the rudiments of free will). We can see, with only a little imagination, how robots will progressively acquire human-like capabilities and characteristics. Indeed we may ask whether there are any human preserves upon which the robot will not one day encroach. And this suggests the associated question - is it possible to interpret human beings themselves in robotic terms? This book suggests that there is a sense in which man can be viewed as a robot - as an engineered anatomy, a cybernetic system programmed for performance. It is proposed - and argued - that the specifically human characteristics of emotion, free will, moral responsibility, creativity and ethical awareness can be accommodated by the doctrine of robotic man; and moreover that this is not a dehumanising analysis of human nature. Geoff Simons argues that we need to interpret human beings within the terms of natural law. Only in such a way - avoiding the traditional packaging of man in confused, mysterious and superstitious categories - can we develop a philosophy that is truly humanistic. The true humanists are those that can face what man is - and rejoice.