[BIO] Further development of a society with no qualms about (ab)using bioroids

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

Fiction seem to mostly present to large groups of settings in regards to treatment of bioroids: either they're feared and forbidden, and the few that existed ended up harming humanity; or they have gained freedom by now, and are fighting milder forms of social discrimination.

But what about settings where society, for some reason, doesn't see anything wrong about using bioroids. Perhaps they define humanity by an esoteric/religious concept like a 'soul', or maybe they think that 'artificial creation equals ownership equals mastery', or maybe this is how they would treat any alien species if they could (and if they encountered one!).

Either way, what would society look like? I suspect underemployement, THS-style, would result, at least in the less respectable jobs. What else?

Thanks in advance!

[Jerron]

I think this depends a lot on the way the culture is set up. If there's a minority country, like Mexico or China here, that does labor, things wouldn't change a whole in the majority country. Things would turn into bad news in the minority country.

There would be a period of adjustment, like our economy is going through now. People would be removed from the jobs the bioroids do one way or another, although there might be a minority of 'untouchables' who do the same work for little pay. Perhaps criminals or others who wish to stay off the radar getting paid under the table. All, or most, of the other people would migrate to jobs that bioroids cannot do. IMO, this would lead to laws limiting what jobs bioroids can do, because enough tailoring and a bioroid would not be capable, but better than, a vanilla human.

Of course- vanilla humans may also become rare. Getting augments and implants and cybernetics and other equipment and upgrades would make them competitive, and it could be a cyber-punk catch-up game, where in order to get a job, you have to buy hardware, which you need to buy from the corp that would hire you, and just happens to make that hardware... And if the government says too much about it, they just stop hiring and use bioroids. Hurts their profits short term, but long term is great for business.

[SuedodeuS]

A setting I've been thinking about has "humanity" defined in genomic terms (meaning certain genetic defects make a person legally not human), and the bioroids in it are derived from human stock (modified enough to no longer be legally human). The majority of the bioroids are military, and the others are typically used in dangerous jobs (although legally there are many non-dangerous jobs where bioroids can be hired). Most humans have no qualms about the use of bioroids, and the bioroids themselves tend to prefer the dangerous jobs they are given - first because they are hard-coded to not particularly mind danger, and second because such jobs are more likely to give them a chance to prove themselves - which can result in elevation from bioroid to human (via gene therapy).

...

The webcomic Alien Dice has "bioroids" of a sort, which are actually uplifted, nanotech-enhanced animals. They are hunted and captured in a manner reminiscent of Pokemon, are utilized for gladiatorial matches, and are kept as pets. The comic also has Rishans, but those fit into the second of the common bioroid tropes - they've been freed (after it turned out they weren't actually bioroids but were instead genetically tweaked members of an existing species; as they weren't truly a created species, they couldn't legally be slaves).

[Stephen Mann]

For bioroids to be "safely" abused in a modern society, they have to be visibily not human. One setting I created years ago had a list of required changes for bioroid designers; elven-style pointed ears, colored patterns in the skin, etc.

Bioroids had to be easily discernable at a distance and while fully dressed. It doesn't matter how much mental conditioning they've got, somebody is going to create assassins and hyped-up infiltrators. If you can't spot them easily, then blood/DNA tests will be needed just to get in your car.

[Celti]

Originally Posted by Stephen Mann

For bioroids to be "safely" abused in a modern society, they have to be visibily not human. One setting I created years ago had a list of required changes for bioroid designers; elven-style pointed ears, colored patterns in the skin, etc.

Bioroids had to be easily discernable at a distance and while fully dressed. It doesn't matter how much mental conditioning they've got, somebody is going to create assassins and hyped-up infiltrators. If you can't spot them easily, then blood/DNA tests will be needed just to get in your car.

And if somebody is going to be making largely-illegal assassins and infiltrators anyway, why not go all-out and make them look fully human? So you're still going to need those tests.

[Stephen Mann]

Originally Posted by Celti

And if somebody is going to be making largely-illegal assassins and infiltrators anyway, why not go all-out and make them look fully human? So you're still going to need those tests.

Sure, but there's a difference in paranoia levels in my setting. Blatantly different bioroids means that these tests aren't needed for everyday situations. While it's known that "human" bioroids are made, it's assumed they're very few of them, and that known users are prosecuted. A vague analogy can be made to metal and weapons detectors in modern America. We assume the average person isn't a homicidal maniac, and so detectors are only at border crossings and airports.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Fiction seem to mostly present to large groups of settings in regards to treatment of bioroids:

Other than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Bladerunner and Transhuman Space, I actually can't think of any examples of biological androids, and THS is the only setting that I'm aware of that has both cybernetic and biological androids together. What other examples were you thinking of?

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Other than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Bladerunner and Transhuman Space, I actually can't think of any examples of biological androids, and THS is the only setting that I'm aware of that has both cybernetic and biological androids together. What other examples were you thinking of?

Your list actually made me remember another example - Xenosaga has Realians, bioroids utilized by the military. That's a setting where society doesn't seem to see much wrong with using them. I think they're pretty much used as equipment, if memory serves.

And you're right - bioroids don't seem to be a very common thing in sci-fi.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Other than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Bladerunner and Transhuman Space, I actually can't think of any examples of biological androids, and THS is the only setting that I'm aware of that has both cybernetic and biological androids together. What other examples were you thinking of?

Settings that have biological androids:

The Legion of Space by Jack Williamson (although almost all of them were eventually killed because they were all psychopaths.)

Dragonball Z

Bubblegum Crisis

Alien

Appleseed

Settings that has biological androids and robots

Marvel Comics

The late stage Foundation Universe by Isaac Asimov

Stargate

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Alien

Sythetics are biological?

Settings that has biological androids and robots
Marvel Comics

What are bioroids in Marvel?

Also Space Above and Beyond has both (assuming in virtros count as Bioroids and not just human).