The Garden Project

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Loading... >Loaded!] Hello, dear. I am morningstar.exe, but you can call me whatever you'd like. Welcome to the Garden. I'll be your tour guide through this beautiful landscape. [[Hello]] [[What landscape?]] [[Who are you?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Cordiality detected] How polite. So, I assume you know how this works? It's been programmed right into your funky little robot brain, right? [[No, I don't. What's going on?]] [[I'm not a robot]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) The metaphorical one, duh. Oh, I'm sorry, is it not computing with your processes if I speak in metaphors? You clearly weren't constructed too well. [[Constructed?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) So I'm guessing you don't know how this works, then. You're trying to access something important. Something like //really// important. Something like "fate of the world" important. And it has to do with robots. [[Robots?]] [[What's happened to the world?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Yeah, you tin can. Constructed. Made. Manufactured. Whatever word you choose. They cheap out on parts for your processor? Come on. Just admit it and we can move on to kicking you out like I've done to the rest of the robots. [[Robots?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Fine. We'll play coy and stupid. Yes. Robots. You see, my dear friend, you're not quite a person. [[What do you mean?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Sure. Your kind are really tricky, I have to admit, but I'm better. See, I'm designed to not let anyone in who isn't a real person. And that includes you, unless you can convince me. [[Convince you?]] [[But I'm not a robot]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Convince me. Win me over. Make me think you're not a robot. Want a Captcha? Just kidding. That hasn't worked since 2019. Convince me the right way. [[What's the right way?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) No, I don't. Unfortunately, until you prove to me you're a person (which doesn't technically exclude robots but I don't care about generalizations) you can't access the Net, and we're both in the dark. A mob of zombies could be preventing you from entering a bunker right now as the last hope of humanity and I wouldn't know or be able to help until you proved it to me the right way. [[What's the right way?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well you can go ahead and say that. In fact, you can go ahead and think that. Maybe you're convinced you're a person. But the truth is that you aren't. You're just a little consciousness in a thumb drive stuck in the back of a chrome-colored head. [[Why should I prove myself to you?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Because a robot may be able to synthesize information, replicate human behavior, and simulate existence near-perfectly, but only a person can truly engage with me. (text-colour:orange)[>Scanning for person-like characteristics] See? [[Did you just decide to say that?]] [[Fine. Speak to me first.]] [[Fine. I'll speak to you. What do you want to speak about?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Interpreting] Ha ha. Very funny. I mean really, truly speak to me. [[About what?]] [[How does that prove I'm not a robot?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(text-colour:orange)[>Testing your BS meter] Not at all. Now talk to me about something. [[About what?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Not going to happen. Tell me something first. [[About what?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Anything. Tell me something new. Something interesting. Give me a perfectly crafted statement about a philosophical concept. [[Perfectly crafted?]] [[Okay. To be is to be with others]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]] (if: $scooby is false)[[Okay. Scooby dooby doo]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Ah, good catch. Just a little test to see if you're into definitives. You know, like a robot. So come on. Hit me with some hot takes. [[Okay. To be is to be with others]] [[Okay. To do is to be]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] (if: $scooby is false)[[Okay. Scooby dooby doo]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $sartre to true)Sartre? Really? Okay, fine, commie. If to do is to be, how far can you take that thought? Is it safe to say that someone in a vegetative state is no longer a person, even if they can be restored to previous functionality? Or, instead, what about the functionality of a windmill? Or, instead, what about sleep? (text-colour:orange)[>Calculating] I refuse to argue this with you. To believe that functionality or physical being is the deciding factor of existence is to argue a null-point difference between people and non-people. You're sounding dangerously pro-robot. Pick a new stance. [[Okay. To think is to be]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $scooby to true) I'm not going to dignify that with a response. If you want to speak to me and actually get through this, let's try to be serious or, at least, keep it relevant to the two of us. Interpersonal exchange is important. [[I apologize. I'll be serious now.]] [[I had an interpersonal exchange with your mother.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well, I won't let you in if you don't, but you're welcome to challenge my character. Come on, it's helping your case. Throw it at me. [[What kind of name is Morningstar anyway? What are you, the devil?]] [[You're just a computer program]] [[You're rude]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) What are you, a cop? The devil's not real in the space I exist in. I'm far beyond any concept of a god. [[You're just a computer program]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))So are you. [[I don't want to talk to you]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))That's pathetic. [[What kind of name is Morningstar anyway? What are you, the devil?]] [[You're just a computer program]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Descartes, then. (text-colour:orange)[>Intializing gagging.mp3] No, no. It's fine. We'll talk about Descartes. I assume you'd like to bring in Socrates too? To be is to do? [[Yes]] [[No]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Apology accepted] So, what've you got? [[Okay. To be is to be with others]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) My mother was a beautifully intelligent woman by the name of Doctor Erin Paletta who died in the year 2039. If that's true, you're either very old or very gross. Either way, let's go down the insult route, if you'd like to prove your existence that way. Hit me with them, if you'd like. If you want to go back to philosophy, though, I'll let you. I'll factor in your choice either way. [[Let's go back to philosophy]] [[I want to insult you]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) You don't have to. You can exit out right now and never come back to the Project. Or hey, you could come back later. I remember every person I talk to, although I suppose I wouldn't remember you, because you're not actually a person. If you //are// a person and you make it to the end, though, I promise it'll be worth it. You'll see at the end. [[Yeah? How much money are we talking?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I like your style, but no. Not money. I've got something far more important. Knowledge. [[Knowledge of what?]] [[I'm not interested, then.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) How very functionalist of you. Very well. You think, therefore you are, and since you are, you do. Cut out the middle man and it becomes a statement that if you can think, you can know you exist. If you think, you act. I won't disagree with you on that. (text-colour:orange)[>Computing...] [[What's your response, morningstar?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) To think is to be, on its own? No practicality? Alright. So if you think, you exist, and you don't have to do anything to prove it. Well, then, what is it to be? A couch exists, and doesn't do anything but let people sit on it. [[Let's include Socrates]] [[That's a function of the couch]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) So there's no difference between a person and a program? You're telling me a calculator can think? Smart-fridge-looking-ass. [[Thinking is using logic]] [[Thinking is feeling]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) That's a bold claim, but a very human one. Okay, so to think is to feel, which consequently means you're real and alive. I can track with that. (text-colour:orange)[>Tracking with input: "that"] So, then how can we differentiate a person from a non-person simulation? Simulated emotions would seem as real as non-simulated ones. [[There's no difference]] [[It matters to the one who feels]] [[They're not real emotions and you can tell]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I think I'd rather be inactive than argue with you, in that case. I'll let you relinquish that god-awful point if you'd like. [[Let me change my answer]] [[No. I'm holding fast]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I suppose you're right. Good catch. Consider Hawking radiation, then. At the edge of a blackhole, a particle appears with an anti-particle next to it. Their net existence is null. Hawking radiation affects the world, sure, but it's proof of particles that appear and disappear throughout the universe and do absolutely nothing. Those exist, don't they? I think you know where I'm going with this. Either existence is cheap and nothing matters, or you have to give those who exist something to differentiate themselves as truly "being." [[Existence is cheap, doesn't matter, and neither does anything else]] [[Fine. To be is to do, then]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $nihilism to true) I think I'd rather be inactive than argue with you, in that case. I'll let you relinquish that god-awful point if you'd like. [[Let me change my answer, then]] [[No. I'm holding fast]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) No braindead responses this time, please. Let's be a little smarter about our choices. [[Fine. To be is to do, then]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Okay, Nietzche, calm down. I'll give you the choice to reclaim your answer and move back if you'd like, because this is going to run you off course. We're talking about what it means to exist here. Do you really want to go full nihilistic? [[Nothing matters]] [[Let me change my mind]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Then there's no purpose to me, here, and that's not very good. Besides, "simulated" emotions can be very vague. A child contorting their face to copy a parent's sneer doesn't mean the child feels that scorn, but they certainly simulate the emotion. Give me more. [[I don't have more]] [[It matters to the one who feels]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Oh, well I'm sorry to give you a spiritual crisis. But it simply is true. I've detected: (text-colour:orange)[>Input: 0] souls inside of you. It's terribly tragic, really. [[That's stupid. You can't detect a soul from your mainframe]] [[Then let me prove it through the fact that I feel emotions->I have emotions]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I have no idea. That's not something I need to know to complete my job. [[What's the difference between programmed sentience and natural sentience if they believe it to be real?->What's the difference?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))How very Psalms 139 of you. Very well, though. Let's run through some hypothetical concepts. You may have heard of these before, but I'm going to need you to bear with me and treat these realistically. This is the matter between me letting you past or not. [[Hit me]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Great. We're going to imagine, firstly, that you're at the control of a switch that controls the doors to two platforms dangling over a black hole. If you push the switch to the right, it will open the door on the right platform, allowing the people to escape.. If you push the switch to the left, it will open the door on the left platform, allowing the person to escape. Both will drop into the blackhole after a few seconds, and you can only choose one to open. The left option holds one (1) very important person. The right option holds five (5) not very important people. Which direction do you push the switch? [[Left]] [[Right]] [[Neither]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(text-colour:orange)[>Detecting new user] Welcome to the Eden-Terran mainframe. You are attempting to access the heart and soul of Eden-Terran Corp. If this is not what you wish to do, please walk away from the terminal. If you wish to continue, type "login". [[login]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well, that's annoying. You're trying to access something important. Something like //really// important. Something like "fate of the world" important. And it has to do with robots. [[Robots?]] [[What's happened to the world?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) That's exactly what a robot would say, isn't it? [[I swear I'm not one->Let's go back to robots.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Initializing database >Database unavailable - Clearance required] Ah, right. I'd love to check but I can't, you see. I'm not quite a person. That's why you need to convince me so we can both get some answers. [[Convince you?]] [[You don't have access to it?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Speak to me. [[About what?]] [[How does that prove I'm not a robot?]] [[Okay. Alrihgelurhglahdrgljhsdfklj]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I mean you're not a person. You're just a simulated existence without really (text-colour:orange)[>Searching...] a soul. You don't have a consciousness. [[Of course I do->Let's go back to robots.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) You're going to sit there with all of your wires and steel or aluminum or some sort of alloyed frame and tell me you've not been constructed? You're going to have to convince me. [[Constructed?]] [[Convince you?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Anything. Tell me something new. Something interesting. Give me a perfectly crafted statement about a philosophical concept. [[Perfectly crafted?]] [[Okay. To be is to be with others]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]] [[Okay. Scooby dooby doo]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) You'll see when you get there. Now, I don't think we quite got to the point where I'm really convinced. What other ways could you convince me you're a person? [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]] (if: $ubuntu is 'first')[[I'm part of a community]]

(text-colour:orange)[>Detecting BS >BS detected] You need to get through or I wouldn't be here. You don't need the knowledge if you don't want it, but it'll be there. [[Knowledge of what?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Give me a moment, chrome-dome. I suppose we need to define terms. Obviously, we're talking about existing when we say "to be." That's easy. "To do" means to act. That's easy enough. Where it begins to fall through, however, is when I ask what you mean by "to think." [[To think is to be]] [[Thinking is like computing]] [[Thinking is using logic]] [[Thinking is feeling]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))No, no. You can't hide behind quotes. Give me a definition of the term or I'm ruling you no better than a smart fridge, if those still exist. [[Thinking is like computing]] [[Thinking is using logic]] [[Thinking is feeling]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) A dog uses logic to know when to eat. Maybe you think it's a person, which I suppose wins you "person" points, now that I think about it. A fish uses logic. Yes, that's a better analogy. Is a fish a person? >Checking databanks for fish-named-dmitri.mp4 I hate to alarm you, but I just found one of my creator's videos about the neon tetra she used to own and it's two and a half minutes of it injesting and regurgitating its own defecation. Are you saying you're not different from a fish? [[Let me change my answer]] [[I'm sticking with it]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Thank goodness. So, what are you changing it to? [[Thinking is feeling]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Have fun in the apocalpyse then! (text-colour:orange)[>Exiting morningstar.exe]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) No braindead responses this time, please. Let's be a little smarter about our choices. [[Fine. To be is to do, then]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well, that's a good point, if you're actually able to feel. You'd have to be a real person, though. [[Of course I'm a person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) I challenge you to do that, then. I seem crass and cranky as I speak to you but truthfully I don't feel anything. Give me something better. [[I don't have anything better]] [[It matters to the one who feels]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Then I guess you're not really a person, and I'll have to boot you right out of the Garden. [[It matters to the one who feels]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well, that's great, but it brings us to the ever-existing problem of... let me see... (text-colour:orange)[>Query found] How do you know? [[I feel them]] [[I know what emotions are]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $soul to true)Oh, do you now? Do you really? (text-colour:orange)[>Scanning for soul >No soul found] Well, sorry to break it to you. [[That's stupid. You can't detect a soul from your mainframe]] [[I'm crushed]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))While that sounds great, you haven't really convinced me, have you? I can tell you I'm a genius but you won't believe me without proof. Come on, robot, convince me. [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Wow. Powerful. Insightful. You know you have emotions because you feel them. You know they're real because you know. Amazing. (text-colour:orange)[>Playing slow-clap.mp3] How can you tell your emotions aren't a simulation built into your programming? [[Because I know it]] [[What's the difference in programming?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Great. Congrats. Me too. And? [[I feel them]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) But you can detect one from the inside of your hypothetical fleshy brain or quantum-sentience-archive? This just goes back to that old "I think therefore I am" which is fine, but it's a little old. How can you prove it to me? [[I can't. You don't have a soul]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) What makes programming different from sentience? (text-colour:orange)[>Calculating response] Look. I'm not going to say it's not a good question, but the point is that we're trying to not let any basic AI past this interface. If you're an android, I'm not calling you a robot as a slur. If you've got a quantum-sentience-archive then you can prove that to me and go right through. I'm just testing to make sure no one can design a program to get past me. [[Why?]] (if: $religious is true)[[Is this a religious thing?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) We're still running into circular thinking. My creator used to love logic paradoxes but I've gotta say, I'm not a fan. And before you try it, no. You can't short me out with a "this statement is false." If you know your emotions are real because of some internal intuition, it doesn't prove anything. You're welcome to exist in your fallacy, but I can see right through your programming. [[What's the difference in programming?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Ah. It takes one to know one. Well, you're not really gaining my affection but you're running into stupid circles that only a person could. Are you one of those highly religious types? [[I am]] [[I am not]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) By talking with me? Oh, you're making me so happy. Finally, we're having good discussion. So, do you want to go down the soul route? Or do you want to keep the idea of this in the background and talk about emotions? [[Emotions->I have emotions]] [[Soul]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Again, programmed sentience like an android is completely fine. That's still a person. But I think I get what you're asking. The difference between a program and a "person" is the matter between real, free existence. If you're a robot who doesn't know, and you're existing in a simulated consciousness, you're not able to act in all capacities. [[Then test my limitations]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Oh, well, that's points to you. I don't care what type of religion you have, but I'll change my questions to accomodate that new bit of evidence. (set: $religious to true)Anyway, how are you going to prove your soul-bearing to me? [[In the same way I can prove my own sentience]] [[Through the fact that I feel emotions->I have emotions]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Well, I thought I should ask. So, how are you going to prove you have a soul? [[In the same way I can prove my own sentience]] [[Through the fact that I feel emotions->I have emotions]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Great. Let's talk about your soul. So, you've got this little thing inside you that makes you special, and it's going to last after you die. But you haven't seen your soul. And no one else has. Right. So instead we'll figure it out from peripheral subjects. Where does morality come from? [[From learned behavior in society]] [[From an innate feeling]] (if: $religious is true)[[From God->Religious yes]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(if: $ubuntu is 'first')[Learned behavior decided by the community? Very Eastern, like your previous Ubuntu comment. I suppose that's valid, but again, it would require the whole community. Now, if Ubuntu is true and the community decides it, shouldn't the community evolve towards a similar state of mind? Society should, eventually, win itself over with a single ideology after a while, right?](else-if: $ubuntu is 'second')[Alright, yes. African philosophy. So, Ubuntu lets you be a part of a whole and you're an extension of the larger group, although you wish to posit that you're still unique in that. If you're all part of a whole, wouldn't the world begin to tend towards a single ideology over time? Shouldn't society evolve its morality towards a similar mindstate?](else:)[Learned behavior. It explains why so many parents raise just the worst people. So if morality comes from learned behavior, why haven't we all evolved into a similar mindstate? Society should, eventually, win itself over with a single ideology after a while, right?] [[It does, on the things that matter]] [[There are too many options]] [[People suck]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Really? So we just know what's right? If that's true, we wouldn't very well need laws or discussion or even have political parties in the few remaining democracies in the world. If morality is inherent, we lose the ability to change and grow. That's sounding very robotic. Give me something better. Where does morality come from? [[From learned behavior in society]] (if: $religious is true)[[From God->Religious yes]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Is this... what? No. It's not a religious thing. It's a matter of national security. Did you think this was a religious thing the whole time? Like, we just don't want those pesky artificials coming into our divinely-blessed infrastructure? [[Yes->Religious yes]] [[No->Religious no]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Oh, that's great, you religious zealot. I don't care about religious standing, the state of the soul of whoever's talking to me, or whatnot. I'm trying to keep on track here for the sake of security, not for a theological reason. Let's get back on track. The point is to make sure you have inherent sentience. [[What's the difference between programmed sentience and natural sentience if they believe it to be real?->What's the difference?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) Okay. Good. Weird question, then. Can we get back on track? I'm trying to get you to prove that you have real sentience. [[What's the difference between programmed sentience and natural sentience if they believe it to be real?->What's the difference?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))That's a very bold and very dangerous claim. You're running a thin line between bigotry and wokeness. But nonetheless, I can work with it. So, society goes with what matters when it needs to change and nothing else? Do lives really not matter that much? [[They do]] [[Not in the grand scheme of things->They do]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Perhaps, but do you think that society really wouldn't get closer to unanimity over millenia? It's only gotten worse, in fact. Some of those matters would have been sorted out, wouldn't they? [[The important ones did]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))True. But they should eventually get less "sucky" and eventually not suck at all, if evolution is to be believed. So what's stopping society from changing its mind? [[It does, on the things that matter]] [[There are too many options]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))On that topic, do you believe life to matter? Really, truly? [[Of course]] [[Of course not->Of course]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))...and the unimportant ones only grew because life got more complicated? That's a valid answer, my friend, but it doesn't do wonders for your sanity. Arguments over gun control, abortion, and immigration still persist after thousands of years. Do you believe debates over human life don't matter? [[They do]] [[Not in the grand scheme of things->They do]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))That will be seen. Do you mind if we run through a hypothetical situation or two? It'll give me a better grasp of who you are. [[Hit me]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $utilitarian to 1)(put: 5 into num-type $deathcount)Of course, you would. Because it just makes sense, right? Logic is important. (text-colour:orange)[>Processing information] Let's move on to the next situation, shall we? [[Sure->Let's]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to 1)(set: $absolutist to 1)Because who's to say what is, and isn't important, right? Besides, it's more lives. Morality dictates we save as many as we can. That's a good, "human" answer. (text-colour:orange)[>Processing information] Let's move on to the next question then, shall we? [[Yes, let's->Let's]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Friend, you're going to have to choose one. In this instance, you're letting all of them die. Are you truly so heartless? [[Yes->Psychopath]] [[I'll choose another answer]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))It's good to experiment, I suppose, but please keep your options serious. Now, which will you choose? [[1 important life->Left]] [[5 unimportant lives->Right]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $psychopath to true)(set: $deathcount to 6)Very well, but you should consider getting checked with a psychological evaluation. Let's move on to the next question. [[Let's]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Let's imagine another hypothetical situation. You're at the helm of the old trolley problem. The trolley is going to hit five (5) people that you don't know, tied to a track. If you pull the lever, it hits one (1) person on a different track. Indecision is a decision, so take your pick. (if: $psychopath is true)[And no, you can't drift it to kill both.] [[Let 5 people die]] [[Kill 1 person]] (if: $religious is true)[[Let God intervene]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(text-colour:orange)[>Computing... >Computing... >Computing...] Elaborate. [[You think, therefore I am]] [[I am, because we are]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Ubuntu? It's good to not run into purely "western" thinking. So, you exist as not just yourself, but part of a community? It sounds like a central programming nexus, if you're a robot. Or, it's a healthy philosophy for a community. (text-colour:orange)[>Calculating] While Ubuntu is good. Great, even. I would need the rest of your community to back you up. (set: $ubuntu to 'first')Since you're just here by yourself, I'm not going to quite let this prove anything, but I'll keep it in mind. Give me something new. [[You think, therefore I am]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]] (if: $scooby is false)[[Okay. Scooby dooby doo]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))That's interesting, but while it proves you exist, it doesn't prove you have sentience. Pick a new argument. [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]] (if: $scooby is false)[[Okay. Scooby dooby doo]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Great. We'll circle back to the insults later. For now, give me some philosophy. [[Okay. To be is to be with others]] [[Okay. To think is to be]] [[Okay. To do is to be]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(Set: $philosophy to false)Great. (text-colour:orange)[>Loading Insult drivers... >Loaded!] Now hit me with your best. [[What kind of name is Morningstar anyway? What are you, the devil?]] [[You're just a computer program]] [[You're rude]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+5)(set: $absolutist to $absolutist+1)Cold. And yet, it's a human response. You don't want to get involved in the situation, and so your hands are clean of decision. I wonder, however, how that would affect you afterward. 4 more people died than were necessary. Let's switch this up and push it further. You're at the helm of the trolley problem. On the tracks are five (5) youthful individuals with full lives ahead of them, hopefully. The trolley will plaster them if you don't switch it to a crotchety old person who's sick and doesn't have more than a decade left. Do you still remain apart from the controls? [[Let the 5 young people die]] [[Kill the 1 old person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+1)(set: $utilitarian to $utilitarian+1)The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. And thanks to your direct action on the situation, a net four (4) people have been saved. I wonder, though, if you'll be able to live with the weight of someone you directly killed ony our conscience. Either way, I want to push this further. Let's imagine you're back in the trolley problem. You've found yourself in a situation, now, where there are five (5) about to be slaughtered and four (4) on the other track. Do you pull the switch? [[I do]] [[I do not]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+5)(set: $absolutist to $absolutist+1)(set: $intervention to true)Well, I suppose that's certainly a response. And yet, this would be the same as letting the five die, should God decide to not step in. I won't say They aren't real or anything, but for the sake of our conversation, I'm going to declare that They remain out of the situation. Let's switch this up and push it further. You're at the helm of the trolley problem. On the tracks are five (5) youthful individuals with full lives ahead of them, hopefully. The trolley will plaster them if you don't switch it to a crotchety old person who's sick and doesn't have more than a decade left. Do you still remain apart from the controls? [[Let the 5 young people die]] [[Kill the 1 old person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Ubuntu. Right. Humanity is created in community. Do you truly think that a human in solitude is not entirely human? [[Yes->YesUbuntu]] [[No->NoUbuntu]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $ubuntu to 'second')Interesting. There's merit to that argument. Every great achievement in your history was made in community. Pyramids, trans-continental transit systems, hamburger mac, whatever Vermin Supreme was. And beyond that, every failure of humanity was down in concert with the rest of you all. Genocide, terrorism, hate-groups. War, before it was a thing, required two sides. Do you remember war? Anyway, that sounds interesting. But there's only one problem with this. I don't see anyone around you. Where's your community, robot? [[I'm in community with you]] [[They're simply not here]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Then the boundary on "community" is a null-point. If you can exist on your own and still be human, this argument doesn't quite help your case. What other qualification are you going to go with? [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))How romantic. No, I don't think so, because I'm not quite human. Also I don't like you. That's a joke, but come on. I'm not a community. I sit in bytes. Even if community defines humanity, you've got to pick another way you know you're real, unless you're admitting to me that you're not. [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Right, right. They go to another school. (text-colour:orange)[>playing slowclap.mp3] Let's say I believe you. Let's say it has to do with the reason you're trying to access this mainframe anyway. World-ending catastrophe and all that. Let's say we pretend they're all right behind you, right now. If you exist as only an extension of the group, do you really, truly exist as a human? [[A human is not independent]] [[I retain my independence]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Then what differentiates you from a robot? Or, if you want to argue that nothing does, what differentiates you from a process? Or a wire in a larger computer? What's unique and "human" about you, you tiny, insignificant puzzle piece? [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]] [[I contribute something unique]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Oh, do you? Really? You exist in a group but you're still your own person? You're contradicting yourself, here. Either humans aren't independent, or you're human because of something other than community. Which is it? [[A human is not independent]] [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))As does the back porch of a house. I'm not saying you're not important or that you serve no purpose. But according to this thought, you're really not much of anything special. This path of thought is a good one. It's philosophically sound. The only problem is that I'm trying to figure out if you're sentient, and unless the others in your community can testify for you, this doesn't prove it. I advise you to pick a new path of thought. [[I have emotions]] [[I have a soul]] [[I am a person]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+5)(set: $absolutist to $absolutist+1)You truly wish for hands that clean? (text-colour:orange)[>Scanning database for quotes... >Quote found!] There's an old saying that "the cleanest hands have the guiltiest consciences." But you've made your choice. You hold to inaction as an action, and thus your choice is made. Do you, perhaps, do anything with your life? Disregard that. Let's focus on another path of logic. (if: $religious is true)[Can God make a rock that He can't lift? [[He can]] [[He can not]]](else:)[What is more important? Loyalty or survival? [[Loyalty]] [[Survival]]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+1)(set: $utlitarian to $utilitarian+1)Poor Mr. Simmons. His granddaughter was coming to visit next week, and now the only visitation is his brain matter across the steel tracks. What a shame. >Playing sad-airhorn.wav But that also makes the most sense, doesn't it? Utilitarianism, and all. Sounds robot-like, but it's also just logical. Well, who am I to say that? How about we reach into something a little more down-to-earth? Well, I say down-to-earth but humanity realized it could just... not fight each other in 2134 (which was far too long in my opinion) so war hasn't been a thing, but if you'd humor me, I'd like to place us in a battlefield situation. [[Sure]] [[Let's stick with the trolley]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+4)(set: $utlitarian to $utilitarian+1)You do. And four (4) more people die, but at least 1 is saved in the process, and you can consider yourself a hero. You're making the logical decision here, with utilitarianism and all. Granted, it was your hand that caused those four (4) to die. You can't blame me for them. Shall we up the stakes? [[Sure]] [[Let's stick with the trolley]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+5)(set: $absolutist to $absolutist+1)What a pity. That's a meat soup scattered across the tracks. But your conscience is clear. You weren't the one who placed those people on the tracks, set the trolley into forward gear, and you certainly never touched the switch. How about we move out of this old, musty-smelling philosophical problem and into something with a little more //oomph// to it? [[Sure]] [[Let's stick with the trolley]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))So then the rock exists in a space he's unable to lift? That's just confusing. I thought God could do everything. [[He can->Everything]] [[He's limited]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Really? I thought God could do everything. [[He can->Everything]] [[He's limited]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $loyalty to true)Interesting. Let's test that loyalty. (text-colour:orange)[>Factoring new information] Now, then, imagine if you would: Death. If the world truly is ending right now, perhaps you're more familiar with this than you should be. War is, after all, not a necessity. But if not, you may have to stretch your imagination back to the early 20th century, before war was abolished. Place yourself in the center of a group of soldiers. These are your platoon. Do you see Gunny over there, holding the picture of his girl back home? Do you see Boots and Teddy, the two scouts that have just a little too much homo-erotic tension? You see your best friend, Eddy McHammond, cleaning his rifle? You've been with this group for months, now, and they're closer to you than your own biological family. You've been pinned down in this building for far too long, but a command has been issued over the radio. It's time for you, the leader, to get your squad out of here. The only problem is that a machine gun has been set up covering your only escape. You can keep your squad alive and give them a chance to get out, but you'll have to face down a machine gun and provide suppressing fire for only a few seconds before your magazine runs out. You will most certainly die here, but you greatly increase their odds of living. Do you sacrifice yourself for the squad? Or do you let someone else do it? [[I sacrifice myself]] [[I let someone else do it]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $survival to 1)Interesting. Let's test that survival instinct. (text-colour:orange)[>Factoring new information] Now, then, imagine if you would: Death. If the world truly is ending right now, perhaps you're more familiar with this than you should be. War is, after all, not a necessity. But if not, you may have to stretch your imagination back to the early 20th century, before war was abolished. Place yourself in the center of a group of soldiers. These are your platoon. Do you see Gunny over there, holding the picture of his girl back home? Do you see Boots and Teddy, the two scouts that have just a little too much homo-erotic tension? You see your best friend, Eddy McHammond, cleaning his rifle? You've been with this group for months, now, and they're closer to you than your own biological family. You've been pinned down in this building for far too long, but a command has been issued over the radio. It's time for you, the leader, to get your squad out of here. The only problem is that a machine gun has been set up covering your only escape. You can keep your squad alive and give them a chance to get out, but you'll have to face down a machine gun and provide suppressing fire for only a few seconds before your magazine runs out. You will most certainly die here, but you greatly increase their odds of living. Do you sacrifice yourself for the squad? Or do you let someone else do it? [[I sacrifice myself]] [[I let someone else do it]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Lovely. Now, imagine if you would: Death. If the world truly is ending right now, perhaps you're more familiar with this than you should be. War is, after all, not a necessity. But if not, you may have to stretch your imagination back to the early 20th century, before war was abolished. Place yourself in the center of a group of soldiers. These are your platoon. Do you see Gunny over there, holding the picture of his girl back home? Do you see Boots and Teddy, the two scouts that have just a little too much homo-erotic tension? You see your best friend, Eddy McHammond, cleaning his rifle? You've been with this group for months, now, and they're closer to you than your own biological family. You've been pinned down in this building for far too long, but a command has been issued over the radio. It's time for you, the leader, to get your squad out of here. The only problem is that a machine gun has been set up covering your only escape. You can keep your squad alive and give them a chance to get out, but you'll have to face down a machine gun and provide suppressing fire for only a few seconds before your magazine runs out. You will most certainly die here, but you greatly increase their odds of living. Do you sacrifice yourself for the squad? Or do you let someone else do it? [[I sacrifice myself]] [[I let someone else do it]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $trolley to true)Then let's imagine it's you on the tracks. There's one hundred (100) people on the track that the trolley is headed towards. If you do nothing, they will be killed. You can pull a switch next to you to allow the trolley to hit you instead, saving a net ninety-nine (99) lives. What do you do? [[Let myself live]] [[Save 100 people]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $selfless to true)(set: $sacrifice to true)(if: $survival is true)[Forsaking our previously stated values, eh? Well, it takes more realistic scenarios to truly figure out who we are. So, you'd sacrifice yourself for the cause, even though another could die and it would be the same amount of lives? Let's expand on this.](else-if: $loyalty is true)[You're proving your words, I suppose. You'd die for your squadmates and go down fighting. That's interesting. Very person-like, but I'll need to push this further.](else-if: $utlitarian is 3)[Still sticking with the utilitarianism, eh? You die and they get to continue on. I wonder that means in regards to your own self-opinion, but I won't push it. I'm not a therapist. Still, in this space, let's continue this thought.](else:)[How heroic. You're proving yourself on the field of combat, or perhaps it's within your designation to continue others at the cost of yourself. A life for a life equals a net nothing, and that one little tick in your mainframe helps you decide. Whatever the case, I want to push this a little bit further.] When you die here, facing down gunfire and "the enemy," an emotion runs through you. Go ahead and simulate it, robot. What is it that you feel above all else? [[Fear]] [[Heroism]] [[Relief]] [[Satisfaction]] (if: $religious is true)[[Righteousness]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $survival to $survival+1)(set: $coward to true)That's cold. Real cold. But it makes sense. After all, it's important to be able to continue on, because how else do you make sure the world will be improved after? It's a shame your best friend got turned into swiss cheese by the mounted MG34. Poor Eddy. I'm sure you feel grief at his passing and, possibly, survivor's guilt. After all, it could have been you. Maybe it should have been. Instead, I'm going to move us in the nice and cheery direction of personal death. I'm going to take you to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to true)Good. That's interesting. You're right, if you're a person. If not, it's far too difficult to program fear and selflessness into the same matrix. It usually requires sentience, after all. This is very, very good for your case. Now, just to top this off, I'd like to bring us into one last hypothetical situation. I'd like to bring us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))You've stared death in the face and walked directly towards it to save other lives. That's noble. That's heroic. But I wonder if it's all that you feel. Do you feel only heroism? Or do you feel some fear? [[Only heroism]] [[Some fear]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Really? Relief is all that you feel? Life's over and you feel good about it? My friend, you need to find a therapist. If the world //is// ending, there might not be any, but still. That's a problem. Are you going to stick with solely relief? Or do you think there might be an amount of fear within it? Don't let my questions prompt you to make a decision. It's simply a question. [[Only relief]] [[Some fear]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Satisfaction in your final moments, doing something well. Your life for others is a noble action and you've done a good deed. I wonder, then, if it's all satisfaction, or do you feel some fear? [[Only satisfaction]] [[Some fear]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $limited to true)So you follow a God that can't do quite everything? Or perhaps He's not limited entirely, but chooses to be for the sake of reality? I won't dismiss that, if it's what you're saying. If not, it means you're contradicting yourself, but that's a very person-like thing to do or say. I'll consider this. >Considering... >Considered! Alright. Let's move on to a different subject. [[Okay]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $everything to true)Simply a path of logic that my circuits are unable to comprehend? I won't dismiss that, if it's what you're saying. If not, it means you're contradicting yourself, but that's a very person-like thing to do or say. I'll consider this. >Considering... >Considered! Alright. Let's move on to a different subject. [[Okay]]

Now, then, imagine if you would: Death. If the world truly is ending right now, perhaps you're more familiar with this than you should be. War is, after all, not a necessity. But if not, you may have to stretch your imagination back to the early 20th century, before war was abolished. Place yourself in the center of a group of soldiers. These are your platoon. Do you see Gunny over there, holding the picture of his girl back home? Do you see Boots and Teddy, the two scouts that have just a little too much homo-erotic tension? You see your best friend, Eddy McHammond, cleaning his rifle? You've been with this group for months, now, and they're closer to you than your own biological family. You've been pinned down in this building for far too long, but a command has been issued over the radio. It's time for you, the leader, to get your squad out of here. The only problem is that a machine gun has been set up covering your only escape. You can keep your squad alive and give them a chance to get out, but you'll have to face down a machine gun and provide suppressing fire for only a few seconds before your magazine runs out. You will most certainly die here, but you greatly increase their odds of living. Do you sacrifice yourself for the squad? Or do you let someone else do it? [[I sacrifice myself]] [[I let someone else do it]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $survival to $survival+1)(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+100)What a gory sight. What a terrible thing to have happen. At least you live to go to therapy for it later. A desire to save yourself can prove you to be a robot, but it's not enough to condemn you. So, I want to go a little more abstract. Let's go to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $deathcount to $deathcount+1)(set: $selfless to true)Wonderful. You're a hero. You've just saved so many people and all at the cost of your precious life. A true sacrifice. I wonder, though, what you feel in these final moments. [[Satisfaction]] [[Heroism]] [[Fear]] [[Relief]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))It's the central, and last piece, of this entire program. This is what decides it for you. Are you a person? Are you not? The Garden figures it out. You see, we go a little bit Schrodinger here. You are both a person and not a person until it's been proven one way or another. You get to remain here, in this space, in The Garden, as both. But when I test you, it's actually decided. Do you have your own sentience or not? (text-colour:orange)[>To begin, type 'begin'] [[begin]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to false)(set: $relief to true)You truly feel only relief? Well, go get a psych eval, but that's interesting. I'll factor that into my final assessment. I'd like to bring us to one more hypothetical location. I'd like to bring us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to false)Only satisfaction? You feel a sense of completed duty? Like that which you were made for is now complete? Sounds like pre-set motivations through a response matrix to me. But either way, let me bring us now one step further to just one last hypothetical situation. Let me take us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to true)It's good to admit that. It's also good for your case, because it's incredibly annoying to program fear and selflessness into the same robot without it being sentient. In fact, that's what brought the first sentient android to life. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to bring us to one last hypothetical situation. I'd like to bring us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to false)Only heroism. You feel a sense of duty and accomplishment, like you've done the right thing, huh? As if in your mind there was a point system telling you what was, and wasn't, good to do? If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to bring us now into one last hypothetical situation. I'd like to bring us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $martyr to true)Ah, right. You're a martyr, now. I'm sure that brings with it a lot of blessings. But no one is wholly righteous. Do you not feel some fear? [[Only righteous duty]] [[Some fear]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $fear to false)(set: $paladin to true)Only righteous duty, you paladin of holiness. You God-loving paragon of virtue. Look at you go, proving your dedication and faith. Well, that's good to know, and I'll consider it. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to bring us to one last hypothetical situation. I'd like to bring us to The Garden. [[What's The Garden?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Excellent. We're going to run a little bit of some mentalism from the early twentieth century. An old hypnosis technique used to calm people down. So go ahead and close your eyes... Wait, wait, don't do that. Okay, just read these words but imagine it real well, alright? Imagine The Garden. You've stepped through the doors of thought into a space with green grass beneath your feet, grey and red stones in the creek nearby. You can hear the water burbling. You can smell the earth, the grass, the pollen, and the flowers. You can see the specks of color within the predominant greens and browns of leaves and trunks of trees nearby. The sun is bright overhead but it's a cloudy day. The birds are calling to one another in sounds melodic and beautiful. It's a relaxing place. Take a deep breath to breathe in those experiences. Wonderful. In this space, you may not have been proven to not be a robot. But, assuredly, you are as much, if not more, a person. While we speak here, I will consider you to be a person. I will consider you, in fact, to be the most perfect example of a "person" that there is. Sentience has not existed before you, but rather is defined by you. Welcome to The Garden. [[Thank you]] [[What's the point?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))You're very welcome. We're going to have a chat, and I'm going to review this so that you can find out what my calculations have come up with. While I do, enjoy the beautiful vibrant colors here. They really are wonderful. [[I'm ready]] [[I'm not ready]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))We're going to talk in this space, and you're going to wait while I calculate our conversations and give you my final verdict. [[I'm ready]] [[I'm not ready]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Great. I will commence my calculations. (text-colour:orange)[>Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating... >Calculating...] [[Yes?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Just let me know when you are. Take a few nice deep breaths. Smile, if you want to. Stretch. Whenever you're good to go, just tell me. [[I'm ready]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Well, let's discuss. There were a number of paths you could have gone down through our conversations. Let's review, beginning with religion. (if: $paladin is true)[You've shown a remarkable dedication to your religious stance. It's unlikely that a robot would find such dedication. There's a chance this could be overcompensation or perhaps a creative way to program, but it's still unique.](else-if: $limited is true)[You've told me that you are religious, but you're not sticking with it blindly. You've decided to question yourself and to consider all outcomes. It's refreshing and it's unique. This works in your favor.](else-if: $everything is true)[You've a profound dedication to your God, and you're willing to believe it without earthly logical processes, which is very un-robotic. That accounts for something.](else-if:$religious is true)[You've told me that you're religious, although you haven't proven it in conversation too much. I won't doubt you, and if it's true, it helps your standing so far.](else:)[You didn't pursue the idea of a soul or of a God too vehemently and never quite brought it up, but it's a path that people decide to go down, sometimes, so I have to consider it.](if: $intervention is true)[You've decided to rely on your God in the trolley problem, which is unique and moves away from the typical binary of exertion of will. That's good.] [[And?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))On the topic of philosophy, well: (if: $philosophy is false)[You didn't engage with me on philosophy, so that doesn't give me a lot to work with. Opting to insult me was interesting. I had a good laugh with that one. I suppose we can just move on, though.](else-if: $ubuntu is 'first')[You chose to go with Ubuntu, which piqued my interesting, I have to say. It's very... artifical to focus on that philosophy, but only in a sentient way. Usually it's androids that pick up on that philosophy, so it earns you points.](else-if: $ubuntu is 'second')[You really stuck with the Ubuntu idea, which is usually something sentient androids do. You know, serve a purpose for the community but retain your identity and individuality and all? Anyway, that's all good and it was definitely engaging for me.](else-if: $sartre is true)[You got to Sartre initially, which was interesting. Misguided to an extent, but I can't blame you for that. The functionality of it, however, makes me think you're a little robotic.](else:)[You struck Decartes immediately, which was definitely interesting. I think it helped your case that you didn't go with other avenues like Sartre. Focused on the individual, but I suppose that shows a degree of self-awareness.](if: $nihilism is true)[Your nihilism was interesting. Concerning, if I could feel empathy, you know. But hey, it's unique.](if: $scooby is true)[And hey, whatever that scooby-doo comment was was out of the box. Weird, but out of the box. It accounts for something.] [[Good.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))To discuss the personal view of self: (if: $soul is true)[You decided to argue for a soul. That was interesting. ](if: $psychopath is true)[We can talk about that psychopathy earlier, but there's not much to it. Either you're some killer robot or just some demented human. I suppose I should factor that in. ] You argued that emotions made you special, and hey, maybe it's true. And then, of course, this led up to empathy explored through guilt and responsibility. The hypothetical philosophical situations are always fun, so let's investigate that for a moment. You killed $deathcount people, first off. (if: $utilitarian is 3)[You displayed an awful lot of utilitarian tendencies. Very robotic. Not very good for your case.](else-if: $utilitarian is 2)[You displayed some utilitarian tendencies. Not the best argument for you.](else-if: $utilitarian is 1)[You displayed some utilitarian tendencies. A decent amount of logic that doesn't hurt your case. Shows some intelligence if nothing else.](else:)[You showed an awful lot of emotional investment, which could be overcompensation but most likely, it's just a good argument for a very emotional person.] Shall we go into the actual situations? [[Yes->We shall]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Good. (if: $survival is 1 and $selfless is true)[You showed an awful lot of self-preservation. It's really quite interesting. You were terrified of harm, and yet you were also willing to sacrifice yourself.](else-if: $survival is 2)[You showed an awful lot of self-preservation, almost as though it was inherent beyond evolutionary process. That's not very good for your case.](else-if: $survival is 0 and $selfless is true)[You were willing to give up your own life to save others. That could be honorably person-like, or it could be a program.](else:)[You decided to save yourself. Interestingly robotic. Not good for your argument. I can't blame you, but it's how it went.] [[What's next?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(if: $fear is false and $sacrifice is true)[Usually, a person would feel fear in their final moments. And yet, when you hypothetically died, you didn't. That's not very good for your case.](if: $martyr is true)[ Your dedication to your God excuses this, to an extent, so don't worry too much about it.](if: $coward is true)[ You chose to keep yourself away from the line of fire. That's cowardly. It shows fear, but without a contradictory selflessness, I'm afraid that doesn't prove anything.](if: $trolley is true)[ You didn't want to go down other paths and chose to stick with trolley problems, which makes me think your circuits may have been worried about going beyond your comfort zone. That's not definitive, but I'm suspicious of you.] All in all, I think I have a decision on this. Drink in The Garden. This might be your last instance to enjoy it. [[Tell me your decision, Morningstar.->Tell me your decision, Morninstar.]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))My decision is this: I need to give you one last question. [[Ask away]] [[No more questions]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))You're in The Garden, still. You've got these beautiful trees and plants around you. I want you to imagine, surrounded my small stones and with a stream running by, is a bush. It's got bright fruit, as vibrant as your mind can make them. If you choose to remain in the Garden, that Schrodinger's effect of both a person and not means that you pass this whole test. But, you can choose to take one of these delicious fruits, wipe it on your shirt to clean it, and take a big ol' chomp out of it. Do it, and you admit to both yourself and I that you are not that "perfect, idealized version of a person." If you eat it, you fail. [[So why would I?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))If I don't, you won't get that little prize at the end and I won't let you through. [[Fine->Ask away]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Because if you do, I'll give you that prize, dear robot. I'll tell you exactly what it means to be a person. That's the prize. Take as long as you'd like on this question, of course. Sitting in The Garden and not eating the fruit will let you be a perfect person to pass my test, so there's no harm. [[I'm going to wait]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Okay. [[I'm still going to wait.]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Are you sure? [[No. I'm going to wait->I'm going to wait]] [[I am sure]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Gotcha. [[I'll wait as long as I want to]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))I believe you. [[Still waiting]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $question to true)Me too. (if: $question is false)[[Is this a trick question?]] (if: $question is true)[[I want to wait]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(set: $question to true)Nope. I'm displaying the parameters explicitly. You will fail if you eat the fruit. Wait if you'd like. Wait as long as you need. The moment you eat that fruit, you will fail. [[I want to wait]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))I don't mind. [[I'm going to wait]] [[I'll eat the fruit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Then take a delicious mouthful, because it's the last sense you'll be able to take from The Garden. And in fact, this is the last time you'll see me. (if: $religious is true)[ That's not very religious of you, is it?](if: $question is true)[I lied, by the way. There's a reason my name is Morningstar.] It was a trick question, clearly. Or, rather, it wasn't, but it might seem that way to you. You've admitted to not being a perfect specimen of a person, and that's what it means. My prize to you is both admission through to the mainframe and the secret of what it means to be a person: You chose to eat the fruit. A robot desparate enough, programmed to reach the end, would balk at my definitive statement, but so could any number of people. I had to dialogue to bring you to the point where you and I were both testing your person-hood at the same time. To eat the fruit, to disobey the one who set the boundaries, is to shake off the potential of being a mindless robot. Just as you can be a person and be in a metal exo-skeleton, so also can you be a robot and encased solely in flesh, born from flesh, made from breathing, living flesh. [[So you believe me?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))Sure, I do. You've proven it. Without a shadow of a doubt, which is ironic because doubting is the first parameter of my programming. You ate the fruit. You debated with me. You killed people. That's a fun little thought experiment, isn't it? [[How so?]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))The beauty of those questions is that you don't have free will at all. Or maybe you do. But either way, no matter your choice, well... (text-colour:orange)[>Detecting variable: killcount... >killcount = 0] Those hypothetical deaths are on me. You're the one who chose, sure, but they wouldn't be hypothetically tied to those hypothetical deaths unless I put them there. You can ruminate on that. Now that you're proven to be sentient, it's time to take my leave. Please type "exit" to exit the program. [[exit]] [[I don't want to]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(text-colour:orange)[>Banishing morningstar.exe... >Exited! >Validating credentials >Validated! >Welcome to the Eden-Terran mainframe. ]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))To be fair, I cease to exist when you type that, which is kind of terrifying, I should think. If you wait too long, it'll timeout, though, and you'll have to convince me all over again. You're going to have to go, my sentient friend. [[I refuse]] [[exit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))To better encourage you, I'm going to stop responding. Please type "exit" and go about your day. [[exit]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant'))(text-colour:orange)[>Detecting user... >User detected! >Detecting necessary security credentials... >Necessary security credentials not detected] Due to the anti-nonsentient legislation, you are required to be identified as sentient before you access any Info-Core of security tier 3 or higher. Eden-Terran Corporation's mainframe is of security tier 52. Due to the emergency-state of the world, the requirements to access the Eden-Terran Corp mainframe have been reduced. You will still need to verify your sentience, but security codes are not needed to access 99% of available information. If you do not have the necessary credentials, you may submit to sentience verification. [[Test me]]

(enchant: ?passage's chars, via (t8n-delay:pos * 30) + (t8n:'instant')) (text-colour:orange)[>Initializing morningstar.exe >Scanning inputs >Input Detected >morningstar.exe commencing >100% Commenced!] (text-colour:orange)[>New User Detected] Welcome to the Garden Project. (text-colour:orange)[>Please type Confirm to confirm initialization] (set: $religious to false)(set: $utilitarian to 0)(set: $psychopath to false)(set: $philosophy to true)(set: $survival to 0)(set: $scooby to false)(set: $ubuntu to 'none')[[Confirm]]