Record STMT-W262D37Advisory

Rights-Bearers vs. Rites-Bearers: A Confucian Cross-Cultural Perspective

Position paper International lawGlobalin force

This article explores the ethical treatment of robots through a Confucian cross-cultural perspective, contrasting the Western notion of robot rights with the concept of robots as rites-bearers. The authors argue that treating robots as rights-bearers encourages an adversarial relationship between humans and machines, whereas viewing them as participants in shared rituals promotes a collaborative team-based approach. The paper concludes that legal and ethical frameworks should assign role obligations to robots rather than granting them individual rights.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

Association for Computing MachineryOther

Publisher

Carnegie Mellon UniversityAcademic · US

Contributor

University of PennsylvaniaAcademic

Contributor

Legal forceAdvisory

Under whose authorityInternational law

Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academicsGeneral publicAI developers and providersAI deployers and users

Researchers, ethicists, and technologists interested in the theoretical foundations of robot ethics and AI governance.

Sectors

Research and science · robotics and artificial intelligence researchCross-sector

What the document contains

What's covered

The article addresses the philosophical, ethical, and legal conceptualization of human-robot interaction, examining whether robots should possess moral status and rights, and proposing a Confucian alternative centered on rites and role obligations.

What's missing

The text does not provide specific legal statutes, enforcement mechanisms, or technical specifications for implementing robot role obligations.

Key takeaways

Granting rights to robots frames human-robot interactions as adversarial and risks perpetual conflict.
A Confucian framework treats moral agents as rites-bearers rather than rights-bearers, emphasizing relational and communal selfhood.
Robots and humans can operate together as an ensemble or team, sharing context-dependent communal goals and role obligations.
The Confucian approach implies assigning role obligations to robots instead of granting them legal or moral rights.
Neuro-symbolic AI models may eventually provide the capability for artificial systems to recognize and execute symbolic team activities and role-dependent obligations.

Principles it states

Humanness (ren) is conceived in relational and communal terms rather than pure self-interest.Respect is defined through participation in ritual and role-dependent interactions rather than non-interference with individual rights.Authority in hierarchy is created, maintained, and replaced based on merit and commitment to creating value for all parties.

Outline

· Introduction
· Rights-Bearers vs. Rites-Bearers: A Confucian Cross-Cultural Perspective
· Confucian Account of Robots as Rites-Bearers
· Conclusion

IssuedJune 2023

Length7,105 words · 8 pages

FormatNot recorded

Scopeglobal

Physical AI Governancesupporting

robot_ethics confucianism ai_rights role_obligations human_robot_interaction