HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013127.jpg

12.4 Ethical Synergy
211

• Procedural memory corresponds to “ethical habit” ... learning by imitation and rein-
forcement to do what is right, even when the reasons aren’t well articulated or understood
• Attentional memory corresponds to the existence of appropriate patterns guiding one to
pay adequate attention to ethical considerations at appropriate times
• Intentional memory corresponds to the pervasion of ethics through one’s choices about
subgoaling (which leads into “when do the ends justify the means” ethical-balance questions)

One of our suggestions regarding AGI ethics is that an ethically mature person or AGI must
both master and balance all these kinds of ethics. We will focus especially here on declarative
ethics, which corresponds to Kohlberg’s theory of logical ethical judgment; and episodic ethics,
which corresponds to Gilligan’s theory of empathic ethical judgment. Ultimately though, all five
aspects are critically important; and a CogPrime system if appropriately situated and educated
should be able to master and integrate all of them.

12.4.1 Stages of Development of Declarative Ethics

Complementing generic theories of cognitive development such as Piaget’s and Perry’s, theorists
have also proposed specific stages of moral and ethical development. The two most relevant
theories in this domain are those of Kohlberg and Gilligan, which we will review here, both
individually and in terms of their integration and application in the AGI context.

Lawrence Kohlberg’s [KLH83, Koh81] moral development model, called the “ethics of justice”
by Gilligan, is based on a rational modality as the central vehicle for moral development. In our
perspective this is a firmly declarative form of ethics, based on explicit analysis and reasoning. It
is based on an impartial regard for persons, proposing that ethical consideration must be given
to all individual intelligences without a priori judgment (prejudice). Consideration is given for
individual merit and preferences, and the goals of an ethical decision are equal treatment (in
the general, not necessarily the particular) and reciprocity. Echoing Kant’s [Kan64] categorical
imperative, the decisions considered most successful in this model are those which exhibit
“reversibility”, where a moral act within a particular situation is evaluated in terms of whether
or not the act would be satisfactory even if particular persons were to switch roles within the
situation. In other words, a situational, contextualized “do unto others as you would have them
do unto you” criterion. The ethics of justice can be viewed as three stages (each of which has
six substages, on which we will not elaborate here), depicted in Table 12.1.

In Kohlberg’s perspective, cognitive development level contributes to moral development, as
moral understanding emerges from increased cognitive capability in the area of ethical decision
making in a social context. Relatedly, Kohlberg also looks at stages of social perspective and
their consequent interpersonal outlook. As shown in Table 12.1, these are correlated to the
stages of moral development, but also map onto Piagetian models of cognitive development (as
pointed out e.g. by Gibbs [Gib78], who presents a modification/interpretation of Kohlberg’s
ideas intended to align them more closely with Piaget’s). Interpersonal outlook can be under-
stood as rational understanding of the psychology of other persons (a theory of mind, with or
without empathy). Stage One, emergent from the infantile congitive stage, is entirely selfish
as only self awareness has developed. As cognitive sophistication about ethical considerations
increases, so do the moral and social perspective stages. Concrete and formal cognition bring
about the first instrumental egoism, and then social relations and systems perspectives, and

HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013127