[Advice] Does This Unit Have a Soul?

[Legimus]

My character is a traveling judge. He makes his living neutrally adjudicating disputes and carrying out sentences. In the city we're currently in, the DM has presented a challenge for me: I'm judging a trial for murder. The killer? A robot, pleading self-defense.

The DM has been slowly building our suspicions that the service robot populace is in fact sentient and conscious. My character has agreed to judge the trial because he believes that the robots actually are alive, and deserve justice and fair treatment. But most of the city folk think they're just machines. My current plan has been to use Zone of Truth on all of the witnesses that come to trial, so I can know if they're lying. The robot presents a problem, though. I'm concerned that people won't believe the spell is affecting him. They'll think he's a machine, and without an actual consciousness the spell wouldn't be able to stop him from deceiving us. An important part of a trial is making sure that people trust the outcome is fair, otherwise I risk them ignoring my judgement. To do that, I need something to convince them that the robot is alive. Some public demonstration that could convince them of its consciousness.

I know that this is a very complicated issue, and I don't think anyone knows where the starting line for "true" artificial intelligence is. But thankfully this is the world of D&D, where we have spells and souls and various superstitions. Our party is levels 6 and 7. We are a paladin (me), a barbarian, two druids, a cleric, and an alchemist artificer. If anyone has ideas on how to prove a robot is conscious with those resources, I'd love to hear them. Thanks for the help!

[hymer]

For inspiration:


https://youtu.be/bJF-IRbTh0Q

In other words, you need to convince people. Can't the party bard paladin whip up some persuasive rhetoric and sway the people?

[Mr. Crowbar]

Off the top of my head - Kill the robot, and Revivify it? But that's a bit needlessly cruel.

I was thinking of The Measure of a Man, too. Ask the people what makes them people, alive and reasoning.

[ProsecutorGodot]

Find a dead robot and attempt resurrection. If the robot comes back to life that proves that a willing soul lived in that body and likely a soul exists in the others as well. If at all possible, find an outside party to cast the spell so that the argument of your cohorts assisting you in the "ruse" becomes more or less invalid.

The only problem with this plan is that at your character level you seem to only have access to Revivify which unfortunately doesn't involve the text "if the soul is willing" and convincing a robot to be killed seems a bit dark and unrealistic.

It might work to convince people regardless, assuming this is an option on the table.

If your Cleric has Divination, you could ask their god to reveal whether or not they have souls. Depending on how the DM has the answer delivered it could be difficult or impossible to convince people that they do (in the event that they do)

[CaptainSarathai]

You are the judge. If you deem that the robot is innocent and they "don't accept the ruling" then they are carrying out a lynching (I'd actually have that happen, exactly, if I were the DM).
So you could rule in favor of the robot, put him into protective custody, and expect all hell to break loose afterward. You're the judge; you can also be the executioner.

There's a lot of SciFi stuff here though; are they all awake, or just this one? Is this one the first? Is it okay if more awaken? How intelligent are they? Are they like dogs, in which case "once a dog attacks a man, for any reason, it has the taste of blood and should be put down"? Is there a law regarding 'The First Law of Robotics' which would make the killing of a human, by a robot, a capital offence? Do the robots have any "human" rights at all, or are they property like slaves?

Even if you prove that the robot is "alive," there are plenty of social hurdles you should be prepared for as well. These are service bots; if they are sentient, then they are slaves. Slaves don't have a history of being treated any better.

[Unoriginal]

Have several respected priests cast Divination and ask if the robots have a soul and/or is sapient.

Also, three important things and one very important thing:

First: Zone of Truth affect constructs and creature without a soul, so anyone who think that it won't affect the robot would be wrong.

Second: even if they don't believe the robot is alive/sapient, they'll still have to belie

Third: you can ask people why they think a simple machine would lie to protect its existence. And then you can ask them why they'd think that a robot would lie to protect their existence, but don't consider that they could tell the truth when they say they protected their existence.

And the very important thing: you are the judge. If the robot *did* commit a crime, you have to be impartial in your judgement. So, first, prove if the robot is innocent or guilty.

It should be also noted that being sapient and having a soul aren't the same thing, even in D&D. You can have ask for a sapient magic item to serve as "character witness" on the question, so to speak.

[Elminster298]

If sentience is a new development for these robots, a divine divination to find out what God created/gifted them souls. This would likely lead to an awesome planar adventure to find the "god" and get proof. This adventure would probably have a time limit since the court would likely allow no more than a week recess before they would make a decision with or without the defense.

[Contrast]

First: Zone of Truth affect constructs and creature without a soul, so anyone who think that it won't affect the robot would be wrong.

The spell just seems to specify 'creature'. Surely the question of if the machine counts as a creature or an object is the key issue being debated.

That said, this falls heavily into DM fiat territory - the spell working or not working on it doesn't necessarily mean much either way in my estimation.


It should be also noted that being sapient and having a soul aren't the same thing, even in D&D. You can have ask for a sapient magic item to serve as "character witness" on the question, so to speak.

This. If it can think and make decisions what difference does a soul make? Obviously a lot theologically speaking, particularly in a world with active and observable gods and afterlives but specifically to your judgement what relevance does it have?

Honestly it sounds like you've already conceded that the machine is alive - why else is it being tried for murder and pleading self defence rather than simply being dismantled as defective/dangerous machinery.

[Vogie]

Unless this robot was made when two other robots loved each other very much, there is some sort of creator or event that caused this being to come into existence. With Gearforged (kobold press), they have souls that run them, and Warforged (UA) it states "Although they are constructs, they have much in common with living creatures, including emotions and social bonds, and perhaps even souls."

However, this may not be actually an issue to begin with:

In general law terms, a person cannot be murdered by a non-sentient machine - that would be an accident, and the blame for the death wouldn't be on the machine itself, but either the owner, the operator, or the programmer. For example, if a brand new, 2017, self-driving Tesla Model 3 turns itself on, engages autopilot and runs over someone... That sedan will not be put on the stand for Vehicular Manslaughter. If your automated tractor reaps a farmhand to pieces, that is an accident.

Thus, if the Robot is on trial... then they've already collectively decided that the machine is sentient enough to stand trial. Whether or not it has a soul is completely inconsequential. If it has sentience, then it has the ability to think, and the ability to kill. If it doesn't, then it doesn't.

[Unoriginal]

It's true that if the robot is under trial for murder, it means they're recognized as an individual, but it depends *who* asked for the trial.

[tieren]

Just have a warlock try to hit it with Eldritch blasts, if it is a creature they'll hit if its an object they won't.

[Millstone85]

My character has agreed to judge the trial because he believes that the robots actually are alive, and deserve justice and fair treatment.
Honestly it sounds like you've already conceded that the machine is alive - why else is it being tried for murder and pleading self defence rather than simply being dismantled as defective/dangerous machinery.
Thus, if the Robot is on trial... then they've already collectively decided that the machine is sentient enough to stand trial.
It's true that if the robot is under trial for murder, it means they're recognized as an individual, but it depends *who* asked for the trial.It would make sense for the trial to have been organized by those who, like the OP's character, believe there is someone to judge. And now the trial has to prove its own legitimacy before it can move on the matter of guilt or innocence.

[Contrast]

It would make sense for the trial to have been organized by those who, like the OP's character, believe there is someone to judge. And now the trial has to prove its own legitimacy before it can move on the matter of guilt or innocence.

Let me rephrase my point - it sounds like whoever is in charge and has granted OP the authority to conduct a trial has already conceded this is the case. Whats stopping them just passing a law is I guess my question.

Anyways, assuming you are going into this with prejudice, maybe set up your own little Turing test situation (maybe they are given lists of questions to answer and you try to demonstrate that there is no reliable way to discern him from a normal person). This of course assumes he does mostly talk and act human.

[Arcangel4774]

I'm getting all sorts of piers Anthony/blue adept series vibes from this lol. That being said you could satisfy those that don't believe and those that do believe the robot has a soul by having a humane and quick death, followed by a resurrection. If the robot doesn't come back, those who don't believe are satisfied and justice has been dealt. If it does come back than he is pardoned from his crime, having already been killed.

[Sigreid]

Having a soul and having a sense of self aren't necessarily the same thing. Actually, I could argue that a robot that does not have a soul has a more persuasive case for self defense since it would not have an eternal part that would continue after you end its physical existence.

If it has an awareness of itself as an individual, an ability to come to its own conclusions, and a desire to survive it's close enough to alive to count as alive to me.

[Typhon]

This reminds me of the Outer Limits episode "I, Robot". Be prepared to lose and still have vindication. Unless it goes "Metropolis", but that ends semi-bad for the town's folks.

Your should think about the limitations of the "machine-man". Surely there is some 3-laws type protection.