Xelebes
Little Blue Alien
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2003
- Posts
- 13,068
Oh yes, now I bring you the ultimate in such, or at least hope to (I have the Tetris one handy - if you so need it.)
First, we begin with Pokemon.
Duality and Rights of Pokemon
by JesustheDarkLord
In the games, each pokémon has two natures: the well-known physical side, and the more mysterious electronic aspect that can be stored in PCs and Pokéballs. Morally, the physical side raises only a few obvious questions, which deal primarily with the violent nature of the game.
The question arises as to what rights should be dealt to a Pokémon; does it deserve to follow its trainer out of its pokéball, a la Pokémon Yellow or the televised cartoon? Is it right to force the pokémon to fight whenever the trainer desires?
The first question is not easy to answer, because the specifics of the electronic nature are relatively unknown to us. The second, however, is clearly "No." When a trainer tries to force a pokémon of high level to fight for him, that monster typically refuses. If having a badge is necessary to "control" the creature, then it is hardly fair to assume that it wants to fight.
From a different angle, should pokémon be treated as computer programs? If so, then it can be assumed that any difficulty in their training is intentional, and not a reflection of personal rights. A few supporting arguments for this point of view can be made, including that it is possible (albeit by a slight glitch) to duplicate a pokémon during a trade. Programs are notoriously easy to copy, while cloning and training would be necessary to duplicate a creature - which still wouldn't be an exact copy. Also, pokémon can be almost instantaneouly transferred between PCs across the region; matter transmission is at this time impossible for us.
Of course, pokémon clearly show emotion - as can be seen in "Hey You, Pikachu!" and the aforementioned Pokémon Yellow. The game also allows the trainer to store items, such as potions or tables, in the PC; these are clearly physically manifestations, because the tables can support dolls and other items found during the course of the game. The potion and other support items could easily be computer programs, if we assume pokémon themselves to be programs. Very few programs, however, can use "cut" or "rock smash" outside of battle.
Addendum by me: Just think of Pikachu, the one who stays out of the Pokeball but listens to his trainers command.
First, we begin with Pokemon.
Duality and Rights of Pokemon
by JesustheDarkLord
In the games, each pokémon has two natures: the well-known physical side, and the more mysterious electronic aspect that can be stored in PCs and Pokéballs. Morally, the physical side raises only a few obvious questions, which deal primarily with the violent nature of the game.
The question arises as to what rights should be dealt to a Pokémon; does it deserve to follow its trainer out of its pokéball, a la Pokémon Yellow or the televised cartoon? Is it right to force the pokémon to fight whenever the trainer desires?
The first question is not easy to answer, because the specifics of the electronic nature are relatively unknown to us. The second, however, is clearly "No." When a trainer tries to force a pokémon of high level to fight for him, that monster typically refuses. If having a badge is necessary to "control" the creature, then it is hardly fair to assume that it wants to fight.
From a different angle, should pokémon be treated as computer programs? If so, then it can be assumed that any difficulty in their training is intentional, and not a reflection of personal rights. A few supporting arguments for this point of view can be made, including that it is possible (albeit by a slight glitch) to duplicate a pokémon during a trade. Programs are notoriously easy to copy, while cloning and training would be necessary to duplicate a creature - which still wouldn't be an exact copy. Also, pokémon can be almost instantaneouly transferred between PCs across the region; matter transmission is at this time impossible for us.
Of course, pokémon clearly show emotion - as can be seen in "Hey You, Pikachu!" and the aforementioned Pokémon Yellow. The game also allows the trainer to store items, such as potions or tables, in the PC; these are clearly physically manifestations, because the tables can support dolls and other items found during the course of the game. The potion and other support items could easily be computer programs, if we assume pokémon themselves to be programs. Very few programs, however, can use "cut" or "rock smash" outside of battle.
Addendum by me: Just think of Pikachu, the one who stays out of the Pokeball but listens to his trainers command.
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