Inspired by artist such as Ken Rinaldo and Theo Jansen "Self Bot System" was constructed in 2007.
In "Self Bot System" two definitions tries to intermingle: the positivistic definition within immunology of the Self, and the relativistic definition within Buddhism of the same concept.
The definitions used are presented below:
1.Anatta/Anatman
”In Buddhism Anatta means non-self or non-soul. The Buddha repeatedly indicates that the five impermanent constituents of the living beings are ”not-self”: they are constantly interacting with one another and, therefore constantly changing one another. These five aggregates also interact with the universe around them, so, constantly change the universe as well. How then, can there be one permanent ontological and subjective self within us when the entire universe is impermanent?”
2.Immunology
”Immunology is devoted to the problems of defining the characteristics of identity that distinguish individual organisms from those of similar kind, and describing the mechanisms that defend organisms from their predators. ”The Self” provides a ready and convenient metaphor for deciphering immune reactivity. In ”the Self”, host constituents are ignored by the immune system while ”the Other” - pathogens, foreign substances, altered host elements - are processed and destroyed. But this dominant model has recently been challenged, for the self is polymorphous and ill-defined.
The definitions were divided into phrases and feed into the program without any indications of which definition they belonged to. The programs purpose was then to reproduce the phrases, which are combined freely, but according to English grammatical rules.
"Self Bot System" contains of two parts, the robot-construction (Basic Stamp Technology) and a text containing the two definitions. The robot-construction is also provided with an ultrasonic sensor that constantly searches its surroundings within a radius of 1 meter.
If a person stand inside this area the construction starts combining phrases until the person leaves.
Examples on phrases and reproduction:
The first line in the first definition, ”In Buddhism Anatta means non-self or non-soul.”, can be separated into the phrases:
”In Buddhism”, ”Anatta means” and ”non-self or non-soul”. Likewise can for example the second line in the second definitions, ”The Self provides a ready and convenient metaphor for deciphering immune reactivity.”, be separated into the phrases:
”The Self provides”, ”a ready and convenient metaphor” and ”for deciphering immune reactivity”.
A combination of all the phrases can for example start like this:
”Anatta means a ready and convienient metaphor that defend organisms from their predators. In Buddhism the characteristics of identity are ignored by the immune system therefore constantly changing one another:”...
The purpose of this work was to receive a durable definition of the Self that on one hand could be personally used and on the other hand used as a reference in future works. A defined Self is a necessary starting point for a functioning ethical behaviour.
But a definition of a Self can also be a Non-Self and for relating to buddhistic thinking the definition was not documented, instead remaining ever changing. Remind us all on the difficulty in defining something so fleeting as the concept of the Self. "Self Bot System" is nevertheless limited by a scientific probability based on the size of the texts and the phrases ability to combine.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatta
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/immunology/
