Ben/Bill, My feeling is that goals and ethics are not identical concepts. And I would think that goals would only make an intentional ethical contribution if they related to the empathetic consideration of others.
So whether ethics are built in from the start in the Novamente architecture depends on whether there are goals *with ethical purposes* included from the start. And whether the ethical system is *adequate* from the start would depend on the specific content of the ethically related goals and the resourcing and sophistication of effort that the AGI architecture directs at understanding and the acting on the implications of the goals vis-a- vis any other activity that the AGI engages in. I think the adequacy of the ethics system also depends on how well the architecture helps the AGI to learn about ethics. If it a slow learner then the fact that it has machinery there to handle what it eventually learns is great but not sufficient. Cheers, Philip ------- To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate your subscription, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?[EMAIL PROTECTED]