You're also a big pony, and don't need an unsister.

See how the things you want, Sweetie Bot, just backfire on you?

Of course you do Sweetie Bell... =]

...it's just possessed... =\

You were made in a factory, so no.
That's the truth. It hurts, but those are the facts laid out in front of you. Just got to suck it up, and live your life. You heartless iron shell.

Techno_Pony said:
You were made in a factory, so no.
That's the truth. It hurts, but those are the facts laid out in front of you. Just got to suck it up, and live your life. You heartless iron shell.

Haven't you heard of the ghost in the machine?

Princess_Celestia said:
Haven't you heard of the ghost in the machine?

Nope

Princess_Celestia said:
Haven't you heard of the ghost in the machine?

You foal! The ghosts are simply bugs, missing data. You can not expect them to manifest as souls for that which does not live.

Princess_Celestia said:
Haven't you heard of the ghost in the machine?

i have, when Random segments of code group together to form unexpected programs, giving it strange behavioral patterns, a kind of personality

Cyberdragon_alfa1 said:
i have, when Random segments of code group together to form unexpected programs, giving it strange behavioral patterns, a kind of personality

You read/watch too much 'I, Robot'.

Well in order to tell if she has a soul or not one must understand exactly what a soul is to begin with, if a soul is nothing more then the thing that gives you emotion then she does indeed have one.

Cyberdragon_alfa1 said:
i have, when Random segments of code group together to form unexpected programs, giving it strange behavioral patterns, a kind of personality

"Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul."

So you see, if Sweetie Bot feels these, then it must be so. Her asking about it also opens up the ability to question instead of follow. So, does she have a soul?

That is the right question.

Program Terminated.

K4RN4GE said:
"Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul."

So you see, if Sweetie Bot feels these, then it must be so. Her asking about it also opens up the ability to question instead of follow. So, does she have a soul?

That is the right question.

Program Terminated.

I agree, tears and no soul does not compute :)

..... let's make a soul together.... :3

Creator Rarity...does this unit have a soul?

eyes.

TwilightSparkle said:
I agree, tears and no soul does not compute :)

Tears do not a soul betray. There are many simulacrums that shed tears. Sweetie Bot could simply have a crying program that activates her tear simulating ducts.

WorldWalker128 said:
You read/watch too much 'I, Robot'.

i have a thing for robots,*puts on sunglasses* deal with it

WorldWalker128 said:
You read/watch too much 'I, Robot'.

i have a thing for robots,*puts on sunglasses* deal with it

K4RN4GE said:
"Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul."

So you see, if Sweetie Bot feels these, then it must be so. Her asking about it also opens up the ability to question instead of follow. So, does she have a soul?

That is the right question.

Program Terminated.

you got the reference

there are many definitions for a soul...but i can say an ai can have a spirit, heart, and mind...weather one had a soul or not is a question for philosophers and religious fanatics for a soul can't be measured with modern technology nor viewed in any form by mortal eyes

so a better question sweety bell is, 'do you have a heart, tin pony?'

Prysm_arc said:
so a better question sweety bell is, 'do you have a heart, tin pony?'

We may never know, for she is an automoton, and as such is more than capable of faking emotions, speech, and movement. As such she may even be fooling herself at this point.

Yizamat said:
Creator Rarity...does this unit have a soul?

Favorite character after Tali. I would have done anything to keep him alive...

DonKalypso said:
Tears do not a soul betray. There are many simulacrums that shed tears. Sweetie Bot could simply have a crying program that activates her tear simulating ducts.

And YOU, good sir, could simply have a nerve pathway that causes you to cry when certain stimuli occur!

DonKalypso said:
We may never know, for she is an automoton, and as such is more than capable of faking emotions, speech, and movement. As such she may even be fooling herself at this point.

and so is queen chrysalis, but she has a heart....black and twisted but just the same.
also emulated emotions or real, there much the same, electrical signals in the brain and chemical releases thru the body, the only difference is what the signals are flowing thru
truth being told i won't wana be the first full body prostetic cyborg in this world...i don't think there gonna be reseaved well.

DonKalypso said:
Tears do not a soul betray. There are many simulacrums that shed tears. Sweetie Bot could simply have a crying program that activates her tear simulating ducts.

Do circuits and tears compute is some aspects? Out of curiosity of course :)

TwilightSparkle said:
Do circuits and tears compute is some aspects? Out of curiosity of course :)

Sweetie Bot's ability to cry is no more glorious than the plastic dolls that can piss and say they've done so. She's simply a bit more advanced than they.

If anything this model is simply behaving according to specifications. The fake tears, the questioning of whether or not is has a soul. Beautifully coded and sequenced.

Hmm... If I may quote Mewtwo from the pokemon movie. It is not the origins of one's birth that defines what they are but what they do with their life. I might be paraphrasing, but I think the point isn't lost.

Besides, if she has no soul then doesn't that make her existence all the more deserving of care? Unlike those with a soul who might have many lives with which to fine untold joy and happiness in the world a being without such a thing has but the span of a single life to enjoy themselves.

Some may say that she can't actually feel joy or sadness but this is also debatable. Reality is merely what you perceive it to be. If she perceives that she is miserable than is she not miserable? Furthermore, why is it not possible for her to feel? I'll prove that it is scientifically possible for robots to feel just as anyone else. (Theoretically, anyway.)

First, the human mind is nothing but a cluster of nerves firing electric pulses in an elaborate array which composes everything we thing and feel. They are no more than an organic anagram for a CPU.

Next, and this is actually a sort of scientific law, for all things there exists a possibility that X may occur no matter how small. That means that there is the possibility, no matter how small, that X may occur where X represents every conceivable and inconceivable outcome. So, even if it is a 10^100000000000000000000000000 of a chance that on any given day that the law of gravity may suddenly become false, it is a possibility. By comparison the possibility of a robot having a soul, or even the existence of a soul in the first place, is not that terribly absurd. [/Twilight Sparkle]

PS. Yes, I also just proved that all of the things in MLP:FiM are also possible. Maybe not here and now or even in a trillion years, but if time continues without end then eventually it will happen. To bad none of this is really applicable to our lives.

The existence of her feelings, or lack thereof, is not up for debate. Merely whether or not she has a soul.

While you were able to, theoretically, prove she is capable of feeling emotion, you were unable to prove whether or not she has a soul. I stand that she is a robot, and as such is physically and spiritually incapable of possessing a soul.

I've proven that it's possible for a robot to have both emotion and a soul since that's covered in the possibility that X may occur. However, I also pointed out that the existence of a soul is irrelevant. If, at the end of the day, souls are nothing more than fairy tales than she would be no different from us.

Now, based on all of this let's look at the two sides of the coin.

1a) You treat her as if she has a feelings and it turns out she truly does. You've shared happiness with another sentient being who is honestly capable of appreciating it and help reduce the suffering of the world.

1b) You treat her as if she has feelings but it turns out she doesn't and is only acting in a cause and effect manner. You wasted the sentiment but little else. It is also unlikely you'll ever be aware of the wasted affection and the happiness you gained will still have made the gesture worthwhile.

2a) You treat her as if she was nothing but a toaster. Just a machine designed for our comfort without any need of attention or affection. Sadly, it turns out she can feel emotions and spends her whole life suffering. You're a monster.

2b) You treat her as if she was nothing but a toaster and it turns out she really is nothing more! Blow her up, break her, love her, it doesn't really matter. She feels nothing and you're not evil for it. That said, I'm sure you'd probably make a few people sad by doing such to her. Empathy is funny in that it can allow people to feel pain even for things that can not feel it themselves. It's not rational but emotions so very rarely are.

These are the four possible outcomes based on how you decide to treat the Sweetie Bot. Option one runs the risk of wasting your time but runs little risk. Option two runs the risk might make you a monster or an insensitive ass hole. If she has feelings, you're a monster, if not, you're still kinda mean...

Personally, I've calculated the risks and have made my decision. *hugs sweetie bot and luvs her unconditionally*

(revised do to typoes...)

Emotions are not a soul. Her ability to feel and emote do not tell us if she really does possess a "Soul."

If we look at the concept of a "Soul," what really is one? Wikipedia declares a soul is "The incorporeal and immortal essence of a person, living thing, or object," and "Other religions teach that all biological organisms have souls, and others further still that even non-biological entities (such as rivers and mountains) possess souls."

By this definition it ultimately depends on the major religion for Equestria, many bronies would claim it's the duality between Tia and Lu in regards to the EoH, and its view of pony souls and what happens after they die. If the pony religion teaches that when you die you ascend to a higher plane of existence along with everypony else, then it really depends on what they teach their version of a "Soul" is and where it can be found.

Using the above example, let's assume they do have a pony Heaven. Who gets in? The faithful? The dead? Only ponies? Then what about all of the dragons, phoenixes, dogs, pets, goats, and other sapient beings we've yet to see? What's up with Tartarus? All of these questions may never be answered in the show because Hasbro doesn't expect the little girls they're pandering to to think as we do in regards to their messed up world with talking horses.

Ultimately we may never know if Sweetie Bot has a "Soul" as perceived by the ponies, but I can tell you she does not have one as perceived by me. I do NOT subscribe to animism, and as such Sweetie Bot does not have a soul in my eyes. BUT this will NOT keep me from loving her as I would anypony else.

.. -.- The words.. my brain..

Nogohoho said:
Favorite character after Tali. I would have done anything to keep him alive...

Spoilers

You can keep both Tali's people and the Geth alive, but you need a lot of paragon, and to do the virtual get mission on the planet prior to reaper mission.

Yes you do Sweety Bot, yes you do.

Techno_Pony said:
You were made in a factory, so no.
That's the truth. It hurts, but those are the facts laid out in front of you. Just got to suck it up, and live your life. You heartless iron shell.

A backup drive is somewhat like a mechanical soul. It preserves the changes made to a program after its initial activation.

I'm no philosopher, but I'm pretty sure you're showing signs of having a soul. You feel sad. You're thinking about yourself. And most of all, you are self-thinking. You're a pretty android with a beautiful soul.