The Mech Touch (Web Novel)
chapter-2730

"I think we are adopting different definitions of life." Ves began.

The question posed by Frederico Navarro was a profound one that could not be answered with a single sentence.

Fortunately, Ves had already received advance warning that Dr. Navarro wanted to challenge him on this point.

As a mech designer whose domain was half-dedicated to an aspect of life, how could he be caught flat-footed by a mere philosophical challenge?

He openly claimed to design and sell living mechs. He did not consider any of it to be a lie. Even if other people did not agree with his assertion, it didn't matter too much to him. They would learn in time that his products possessed advantages that fit within the boundaries of life.

His design philosophy never lied. If it was based around life, then Ves should be absolutely correct when he said that his mechs were all alive.

The only issue was that he did not live in an absolute reality where a single truth was taken as objectively right.

Different people clutched onto different truths due to their different perspectives. The issue became even more muddled when human ego and emotions entered the equation.

Even Ves was not immune to this effect. If anyone actively challenged his living mechs, he always felt compelled to defend his stance even when he was confronted with overwhelming evidence that countered his views!

This was what made exchanges between mech designers rather tricky. The purpose of an exchange was to generate useful insights to both sides without shattering the foundation of their specialty.

Of course, that was only one way to look at exchanges. More aggressive mech designers enjoyed challenging their peers and rivals by engaging in philosophical debates. Their goal was not to enrich their own views, but to tear down the views of others.

Ves didn't mind doing so to a mech designer who disrespected him, but Dr. Navarro had not reached this threshold. Throughout the entire meeting, the biomech designer still acted as a decent host. The points he made and the views he expressed completely conformed to his background as an adept of biotechnology.

Dr. Navarro was still earnest. It would be excessive for Ves to tackle this question in an aggressive manner.

This was why he decided to take a milder approach.

"Who is the strongest Star Designer? Who is the strongest god pilot? Are ships stronger than mechs? All of these questions and more produce endless debates." Ves slowly continued. "I have found that the main reason why two sides can never come to a consensus is because they apply different criteria as a result of using ambiguous definitions. For example, consider the first question. How do you actually measure the 'strength' of a Star Designer? The power of their mech designs? That's not a good approach as some mechs can easily counter other specific mechs."

This was an extremely heated debate on the galactic net because every Star Designer had their own armada of diehard fans. Billions of mech designers and mech enthusiasts would literally fight and die for their idol in order to defend the viewpoint that their chosen Star Designer was the strongest!

Even Dr. Navarra looked unwilling to wade in this swamp. "You are avoiding my point. While I understand the message that you are trying to convey, not every question should remain unanswered. Stating that we may hold different definitions of life is valid, but this is not a sufficient answer."

It seemed that Dr. Navarro was not afraid of encountering a little friction.

"That's fair." Ves minutely nodded to the older Journeyman. "It's just that it is much more difficult to convey my argument if we are divided in meaning. Life means something different to me than other people. I'm sure that you also feel that your idea of life is distinct from other people. This is why I feel reluctant to proceed with espousing my views. Even if I elaborate my philosophy, most of it will just sink into an ocean when it reaches your ears."

"Exchanges can be like that. You don't need to be pedantic towards me. I have been through my fair share of debates. No matter how useless it seems, it is best to start with voicing out your views. We cannot go any further without knowing our differences."

"Very well." Ves took a deep breath. "In my opinion, what makes mechs alive is whether they are able to think and feel for themselves. That is the basic definition that I have always based my work from. It's not visible, but all of the mechs that I have designed are alive because they each have traits that fit this definition."

"And these traits are…?"

Ves raised a finger. "First, my mechs are responsive to their mech pilots in a way that is not related to the programming or physical configuration of the mech. What I mean by that is that as mech pilots interface with my mechs, they become exposed to a living personality. Two personalities, actually. The most obvious ones are the sources of my glows, while the less obvious ones are the lives that represent the mechs themselves."

The biomech designer quickly began to frown. He was already starting to have trouble following Ves' argument.

"So your mech actually holds two lives instead of one? How does that even work?"

"It's complicated. Glows are a more advanced application of my design philosophy. My earliest mech designs did not possess any glows, but I still consider them to be alive to an extent. Feedback from mech pilots have already made it clear that they truly feel their mechs care for them as long as they care for their machines in turn."

"Is this true?" Navarro skeptically asked.

"I can transfer some of those reports to you, though whether you trust them is another matter. Regardless, you just need to go on the galactic net or ask any mech pilot that has used my products to know that my statement is true. As mech designers, we exist to serve mech pilots. Their opinions hold great weight. In fact, I would argue their views supersede ours. Even if they are not versed in the finer points of science and engineering, if they believe a mech is bad, no amount of brilliant engineering can make the machine good."

"That is.. a refreshing view to hear. It is a humbling one as well."

Ves had actually hidden a deeper meaning behind that response. Dr. Navarro was clever enough to pick this up and offer his response.

"Before I go on, let me ask you a question in return. According to the feedback your mech company receives from its customers, have any mech pilots felt their mechs were 'alive' in a way that I have described?"

The other mech designer firmly shook his head.

"What you consider to be a positive aspect is a negative aspect to other mech designers. If a mech pilot feels that his biomech is able to think and feel for itself, then something must have gone horribly wrong. Biomechs and other mechs for that matter aren't supposed to be autonomous. While our products have developed neurological organs that function similar to brains, they are adamantly not designed to form a distinct consciousness. Even if a biomech designer has been careless enough to do so, the method of production rules out the possibility."

Ves understood what Navarro was talking about.

Biomechs were grown out of seeds, eggs, nuclei or whatever else the designer called the starting point of their products.

When one of these biomech seeds were dropped in so-called feeder pools, they automatically followed their genetic programming and absorbed a steady amount of nutrients in order to reach their end state.

Yet how did these biomech seeds emerge in the first place?

Cloning was the answer. The only way to produce biomech seeds was to clone them from another biomech seed.

The first biomech seed was a meticulously cultivated product that the biomech designer carefully formed by utilizing advanced lab equipment.

Of course, whether a biomech seed was cultivated from scratch or cloned from an existing example, their means of reproduction left no opportunity for them to gain any sentience.

There had been a couple of.. incidents.. in the early days of the Age of Mechs that taught every mech designer that making biomechs sentient was an incredibly awful idea.

The rules that prohibited everyone from developing new species that were smart and powerful enough to challenge humanity's dominance in the galaxy also applied to biomechs.

This meant that any mech designer who was stupid enough to make a biomech that was able to do everything a human was capable of would get into a lot of trouble!

Ves never worried too much about this rule. He had always maintained the humility of a mech designer. His job was not to create a new species. He only made his mechs alive because he believed it gave an edge to the mech pilot. Together, they were able to accomplish superior results. Alone, they were incapable of resisting any powerful opponent.

This was relatively easy to ensure when it came to classical mechs. Almost every aspect of their physical design was clear, transparent and controlled.

It was a lot more difficult to make sure that biomechs were also under control. Their ability to grow and mutate also made them prone to developing in a direction that was not desirable. This could be very dangerous in certain circumstances!

This was why sentience was a much greater taboo among biomech designers. They constantly had to fight against the stereotype of a mad scientist who wanted to create giant living biomechs who were prone to going out of control and turning against their own makers!

Ves turned his attention back to the discussion at hand.

"My views on life are centered around sentience." Ves plainly spoke. "A mech made of flesh and bone is not alive in my eyes. It's just a large and powerful clone. A classical mech developed by another mech designer is exactly the same. The materials and physical makeup may be different, but from a mental perspective, the lack of independent thought and feeling means that they are only 'alive' in the sense that bacteria are alive."

Those words had a profound impact on Dr. Navarro.

Even Yelkin, who had been standing quietly at the side, began to shake at the controversial view that Ves just voiced!

Dr. Navarro's smile became strained. "You will not make yourself popular among my kind if you share your opinion on this matter. I think we can both agree that making mechs autonomous and independent is not an outcome that we wish to see. That said, if your design philosophy makes it possible to allow biomechs to develop a sentient mind, then I am afraid that you will instantly incur the ire of practically our entire biomech industry!"

"I'm aware of that. I never proposed to apply my own design philosophy to an actual biomech. I merely think that when it comes to life, a biomech will never be alive unless this happens. This is my belief and I am pretty convinced by it. A biomech that does not have the qualities of my existing products is as lifeless as a slab of meat. It just has the appearance of life, not its essence."

Ves finished explaining his fundamental principles. It was not his problem that they clashed against the prevailing opinions held by the biomech community.

His host never dropped his frown. Dr. Navarro felt that the views espoused by Ves were much more difficult to address than he thought.

While he was not persuaded by how Ves chose to frame the issue, he struggled to formulate his response.

In a way, Ves was right. Biomechs were mentally crippled to make sure they didn't act out by themselves. This was an approach that pretty much every biomech designer applied to their work.

Dr. Navarro had never questioned himself whether this was a desired approach. Were biomechs truly better if they were unthinking and unfeeling?