Can robots have minds? (Or another way you might want to consider thinking about this questions—what mental abilities can robots have?) 3.10 and Lycan, "Robots and Minds" (uploaded reading) are the...

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Title: Can robots have minds?
Contents
Introduction    3
The Development of Artificial Intelligence: Human Source    3
The Personality and Conscious Self: Freud’s Approach    4
Input, Process and Output: Information Feeding    7
The Counterargument: Humanoids and Psychological Advantage    8
Conclusion    10
Works Cited    12
Introduction
In the process of understanding the evolution of human beings, one factor that differentiates humans from other animals and puts them at the top of predator list is the power to reason and logic applied to this material world (Agar). In fact, the concept of having the most evolved mind is one of the intriguing ideas to explore philosophically. With the curiosity of creating new—and thus interfering in the God’s design of the world—humans have made robots as their counterparts. The kind of abilities and precision, with which robots work is appreciable.
However, it gives rise to the question whether in any respect possible, can robots work like humans or do they have minds to think logically as well as individually? (Chaffee). I am going to argue that robots cannot have minds in the light of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of conscious self as well as actions, which humans perform on their own; they develop their personality and cognitive skills with a particular behavioral approach while robots are ‘programmed’ to perform and not tale decisions with their consciousness.
The Development of Artificial Intelligence: Human Source
At first, it is significant to note here that the development of artificial intelligence remains in the hands of its maker; it is not reproduced but rather, it is ‘created’ with the desire to make something that looks similar to human beings (Floridi). This concept is applicable to the creation of robots who are programmed to act according to the rules and guidelines provided to them. For example, the invention of computer in 1980s was an ambitious act of scientists to make sure that the works of human beings are reduced to minimum (Floridi).
The early computers were able to understand the process of command received and provide the outputs. Since then, the updated versions of computer are developed and the latest version of it is gifted with artificial intelligence, a machine is made that can operate through the minimum inputs provided. The above conceptual framework is applicable to the development of robots as well. However, the difference between this evolution of human mind and the development of the intelligence provided to robots is that robots have to depend over some human source in order to receive commands and act accordingly. They are not like autonomous entities that can ‘think and act’.
The process of thinking—if taken precisely here—is associated with the programs fed in the form of information in their system, which is not like the consciousness of human beings (Agar). This dependence over human source weakens the possibility of accepting that robots can ever have minds, an organ that is rich with logical applications towards the happenings of the world. The emotional sensibility can also be associated with this process of thinking as robots have no emotions or ethical guidelines like humans have.
It is helpful to think about philosophical contemplation on consciousness, which focuses on human (and animal) consciousness, when trying to answer concerns about artificial consciousness. Consciousness can be defined in a variety of ways. We usually distinguish between (a) a conscious entity, which is sentient, awake and has self-consciousness and subjective qualitative experiences, (b) being conscious of something, such as a rose and (c) conscious mental states, which are mental states an entity is aware of being in, such as being aware of smelling a rose (Chaffee).
The Personality and Conscious Self: Freud’s Approach
In the context of the above, robots cannot have minds can be established in the light of psychoanalytic theory of Freud who provided detailed overview of the development of human personality and how conscious self in human beings is designed and processed. As per Freud’s observation of human mind, there are two distinctive levels namely, unconscious and conscious. In the unconscious side of mind, the indistinctive forms of actions remain and they are too silent to be visible all the time. It is more like an automatic way to react to the actions of others observed in the world. Freud linked sexuality, aggression as well as emotional responses of human beings with this unconscious state of human mind. The fantasies of unknown as well as unfulfilled desires of the world also remain at this part of mind.
Additionally, Freud observes that this part of human mind is beyond control because it has one governing principle, which is solely driven from pleasure. For example, the sexual behavior of human beings at times encourages them to do unusual activities, which they would not do when they are in their normal senses (Chaffee). Fred recognizes the power of unconscious self in human mind as brutal and immensely gifted with exceptional abilities. This part is mostly responsible for carrying out the unexpected acts (Chaffee).
Further, the other...