Ethics Question

I was reading a thread paosted by Nans, it is
www.abovetopsecret.com...
According to the link Scientists are now using living tissue to control robots and the future outcome could be a machine that thinks and learns like a human.
Here's a quote

Central to the experiments is Potter's belief that over time, the team will be able to establish a living network system that learns like the human brain.

Currently we make machines do what we want them too, for example we have robots programmed to build certain parts of cars. The question is, if the robots of the future are capable of learning and thinking like us, should we then force them to keep working (a kind of robot slavery, if you will) or do we invite them to join us in society?
What role will they play against religion, being that they may be able to have rational thought?

Plus there could be another side to this, if it is possible to to control how a brain senses, then in theory people could actually "plug up" to a computer and go into an extreme virtual world, not unlike the Matrix.

Ok I've thrown this out, let's see what you all think.
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Be Cool
K_OS

K_OS~
I'm actually rather torn between the idea of accepting them into our society and not. There are reasons I would and reasons I wouldn't, thus constitutes being torn heh!
I haven't seen the movie Matrix, so I can't compare it to that, but I did see a movie a long time ago, when I was just a youngster called Protius(sp??) and it really scared me about them entering our human race and mingling per say with us. If you haven't seen the movie...it's basically about a robot thing that has a mind and falls in love with a woman and then rapes her...and impregnates her. Now that is just flat out creepy to me! What on earth would the offspring look/be like? This would be the greatest sin of all sins here..to me anyway.
So this is what turns me off about having them around us as though they were part of us..because it could very well turn into that, if they developed feelings and all like Data on some of the ST episodes he he!! Actually(I wouldn't mind if they looked like Data) I'm kidding!
The reasons I wouldn't mind are simple...someone to turn on and turn off and program to do whatever you wanted it to do..like clean! Then I'd never have to move from the computer because my robot slave could do everything for me! Now that's addiction he he! And I'm honestly kidding here too...Can you imagine how boring and unhuman we would then become if they were to do everything for us? There would simply be no need for the human race any longer. Seems as though that could seriously cause us to become extinct..I know that's far fetched..but if it worries me...then it's a definate possibility.
So with all that said..I guess I'm more for not having them around. But I don't make the rules, so it could happen...just hope me and my offspring are long gone when and if it does
Magestica

we're too concerned with figuring out if we CAN....that we don't bother with concerning ourselves whether we SHOULD....