In St.Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, it said
>But to know distinctly what is contained in the universal
whole is to know the less common, as to "animal" indistinctly is to know it as "animal"; whereas
**to know "animal" distinctly is know it as "rational" or "irrational animal," that is, to know a man
or a lion**: therefore our intellect knows "animal" before it knows man; and the same reason holds
in comparing any more universal idea with the less universal.
(Answer of Question 85(3))
>Therefore, if anything is to be called by a name designating its
property, it ought not to be named from what it participates imperfectly, nor from that which it
possesses in excess, but from that which is adequate thereto; as, for instance, when we wish properly
**to name a man, we should call him a "rational substance,"** but not an "intellectual substance," which
latter is the proper name of an angel; because simple intelligence belongs to an angel as a property,
and to man by participation; nor do we call him a "sensible substance," which is the proper name
of a brute; because sense is less than the property of a man, and belongs to man in a more excellent
way than to other animals.
(Answer of Question 108(5))
So human being is defined as rational animal(or rational substance), and animal is sensible substance. However, androids with AI have complete rationality too, and they can be sensible with sensors. So is android a kind of mankind?
Androids seems also rational substances, thus they are men by the definition. However in common sense they don't have souls, hence mustn't be mankind. That seems a paradox.
So **my question**: Are androids have souls? Are androids rational substances? If they are rational substances but don't have souls, are they mankind? Why?
Note: 'Android ' in here means a kind of intelligent robot which is similar to ours, not a kind of Google's OS.
Asked by Popopo
(241 rep)
Apr 4, 2013, 05:25 AM
Last activity: Dec 17, 2023, 09:12 PM
Last activity: Dec 17, 2023, 09:12 PM