view the rest of the comments
Science Memes
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Meta Post Tags
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
If you are here asking: "Is this a science meme?"
Probably, yes. We use the Dawkins definition of meme: a replicating idea, not just an image macro with a fact on it. A good post here doesn't need to teach you something. It needs to make you ask something: who, what, where, when, and especially why or how.
Science isn't a filing cabinet of facts, it's a conversation. For example, a photo of an eel or other localized wildlife counts because most people never see one, and wonder is the first step of inquiry. A car meme counts if it makes you curious about what's under the bonnet. If you want to talk about something you noticed in the world, chances are someone else wants to talk about it too.
We moderate for vibe, not category. Pruning is light, especially where a post creates interesting discussion. Experimenting is encouraged.
See the pinned paper on Shitposting as Public Pedagogy if you want the academic case for why this works.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
ELIZA is a chatbot from the 1960s that people fell in love with despite it only replying to things like "i am thinking about " with "what do you think about ?". your order of events is backwards, which is why i need a citation that it works the way you say.
you're talking about the ELIZA effect, named after it, but conflating two things: ascribing human characteristics to a machine, and assuming that humans with machine characteristics are the same thing. which is a bit ableist.
I didnt say it was "the same thing" i said that its two things next to each other on the same directional trend axis of people requiring less and less to see something as representing a human interaction.
And yes of course a video of a virtual avatar with a TTS voice is less human like than a video of a real person with a real voice. Thats not ableist thats just reality. Questioning the humanity of the person behind those things would be ableist. In the first place, none of the things i originally listed are actually human, because they are fucking video files on the internet. Im not talking about the people behind it, but about the content they create and how closely it resembles the experience of sitting across the room from a real physical human.
But back to the topic. Of course morally, there is a meaningfully big jump between "has a human behind it" and "no human involved at all", but if the user doesnt care or is unable to tell the difference, then that difference might as well be non existent when it comes to how society treats both. If people start treating robots like humans then whats the difference between humans and robots?
Well its the fact that one IS human and the other is NOT and i think its important not to blur that line too much. At the end of the day people seem to be very fucking willing to blur that line and that is actually a big sociological problem that is bound to become a legal problem sooner or later.
let's just blame my use of "conflating" on ESL and move on.
i think the two things you are saying follows are actually two different ideas converging. it's worth keeping an eye on, but as i said i don't believe it to be a linear relationship. people have been falling in love with robots since before they could express themselves, no slippery slope needed. so i don't think that's the sticking point.
Yeah you might be right. Thanks for your responses either way :)