Can Animals and Machines Be Persons?: A Dialogue

by Justin Leiber

"This is a dialogue about the notion of a person, of an entity that thinks and feels and acts, that counts and is accountable. Equivalently, it's about the intentional idiom --the well-knit fabric of terms that we use to characterize persons. Human beings are usually persons (a brain-dead human might be considered a human but not a person). However, there may be persons, in various senses, that are not human beings. Much recent discussion has focused on hypothetical computer-robots and on actual nonhuman great apes. The discussion here is naturalistic, which is to say that count and accountability are, at least initially, presumed to be naturally well-knit with the possession of a cognitive and affective life." --Justin Leiber, from the Introduction

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thought experiment still fucks with my head 8 years after reading it.

[Daniel]

I truly enjoyed the setting and the format. It does push the suspension of disbelief a bit too far at points, but it's forgiveable as it ultimately does work for and not against the arguments being made. It's also clear to which side of the argument the author is inclined, but that is better than a false pretension of neutrality.
Unfortunately, I think it disappointed me as I expected more innovative argumentation. It's ultimately a good introduction to the discussion and a compilation of arguments about what constitutes a human and personal identity from Peter Singer, Mary Wollstonecraft, Derek Parfit, Alan Turing, among others. It's interesting to see them strung together for this specific purpose, but no arguments here push the envelope in this discussion. I can see this being a good book for beginners in this topic to kickstart a discussion and make people acquainted with the basics in this field.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leiber provided a dense and complex dialogue in less than 100 pages. It is going to take me a couple more re-reads to fully understand all of the arguments presented. But it will also take me just as long, if not longer, to come up with an answer to the title.

I fully enjoyed reading this dialogue and made me think in a logical and rational manner, while also still continuing the possibility of machine persons. It is a fascinating thought experiment, and I will be thinking about this book for the entirety of my life. Especially with the rise of generative AI.

[Conlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous dialogue which sheds light on every side of the issues. Leiber does not take a clear stance on one side or another, but instead lets the arguments speak for themselves. Each argument is pulled apart thoroughly, yet the dialogue is entertaining and easy enough to read that it is valuable to both the expert and the casual reader.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun philosophical thought experiment.

[Max Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting dialogue, but I can’t form an opinion on the issue. I’ll need to reread this in a year or two.

[Henry Paxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super fast read for school

[Luciana Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

the final part of the book includes dialogue from AL (the machine they are discussing throughout the case) which is incredibly interesting

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, but insightful, a quick dive into questions we should all be asking.

[Fred Fiterz]

This is a great read. recommend it for anyone who is interested in the debate on Artificial Intelligence. It includes rigorous argumentation and a really fun twist towards the end. 67 pages of pure fun for anyone interested in philosophy of mind.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came across this gem at my college library. It's a comprehensive, articulate, concise, and entertaining treatise on the fundamental philosophical question of our time, written in the grand tradition of the fictional dialogue. I adore this book.

[Devon Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, albeit somewhat outdated, intro into different aspects of how we can think about valuing lives, and which lives we should value. Very short and accessible.