The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2731

2731 /7079

Chapter 2731 - A Different Judge

Classical mechs and biomechs may share the same purpose, but their circ.u.mstances were different.

Normal mech designers did not have to study complicated biological subjects, let alone figure out how to combine that with principles of mech design.

Normal mech designers almost never worried about their mechs coming to life and going out of control.

Normal mech designers rarely bothered with the issue of trying to gain acceptance for their products from the greater mech market.

During his discussion with the bearded biomech designer, Ves gained a lot of sympathy towards the position of hardworking people like him. Because biomechs went against the dominant trend of human technological development, they had to work several times harder just to keep their heads above the water.

That said, Ves was still an adherent of mechs made out of metal, composites, exotics and other inorganic materials.

In his opinion, it was not desirable to overcomplicate mechs. The forceful insertion of biotechnology resulted in a higher barrier of entry, harsher requirements to progress, a smaller mech industry and a greater distance between mech designers and their customers.

There were many downsides to adopting biomechs. This wouldn’t be so bad if Dr. Navarro was able to enunciate a compelling advantage, but so far Ves hadn’t heard anything convincing enough.

The various points that biomechs were traditionally known for such as their self-regeneration capabilities and lack of maintenance requirements were useful, but did not really stand out either.

Ordinary outfits were able to service and repair their damaged mechs just fine by hiring an adequate crew of mech technicians.

Sure, it may be annoying to hire so many people, but mech technicians were some of the cheapest people to employ.

Then there was the issue of life.

"Our different backgrounds and life experiences caused us to develop diverging thoughts about life." Ves calmly explained as he sat next to the table overlooking Veoline. "I have never seriously played with all of this biotechnology stuff, so I have never really thought about biomechs when I formed my principles of life. My design philosophy doesn’t really care about the form of the mech at all. Whether it is a classical mech, a biomech or a mech made out of energy or other substance, they are all conceptually the same machine that each share the same purpose. The only distinction that I make to consider whether they are alive is whether they have the mental qualities of life."

Ves was quite happy to have entered into this debate. Being confronted by a colleague who adhered to a different perspective of life generated a sharp and obvious contrast to his own. It was through these direct collisions that he became more cognizant of his special qualities.

His design philosophy centered around life as it manifested in a spiritual sense. Biotechnology had nothing to do with it, so Ves did not need to mess with any flesh-and-blood mech in order to realize his design philosophy.

Dr. Navarro looked more troubled as the debate went on, but he was not someone who lacked a spine. As a Journeyman, he possessed an unwavering degree of confidence in his own design philosophy.

"I can accept your proposition that we are separated by our different views of what constitutes life, but I do not ascribe to your ranking." The older Journeyman retorted. "A biomech may carry some inherent variations, but they are all under control. A mech that changes and mutates out of its own will is not desirable. Neither the MTA nor the public wishes to see mechs that they constantly need to be on guard against. If your living mechs are truly alive in a mental sense, then they should be capable of forming their own opinions on their users and owners. It may be nice if the mechs are content with their situations, but what if they aren’t? What if your mechs turn against your customers? Can you handle the consequences of such a devastating event?"

That was a good counterattack, but Ves was ready for it. He had already thought about it a long time ago.

"My mechs are explicitly designed to be part of a greater system. A mech is merely a single piece of the puzzle. The mech pilot is the other crucial piece. Only when they are merged together will they be able to perform greater than the sum of their parts. That is what my work is really all about. The MTA officially recognizes my design philosophy as Metaphysical Man-Machine Symbiosis, which means that my mechs are specifically designed to rule out the possibility of going out of control."

That was not necessarily true, but Ves didn’t need to point that out. As far as his public works were concerned, they were all incapable of acting independently or able to inflict real harm on their mech pilots.

Navarro responded with a sharp question. "The possibility still exists, right?"

Ves smiled back in response. "I could say the same for your works, otherwise you biomech designers wouldn’t implement so many precautions."

After exchanging a few more minor points, the debate slowly drew to an end.

They both held their final statements where they reiterated their true thoughts. _{ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom}

Dr. Navarro took a deep breath as he gazed up at the top of his giant tree complex.

"Your views on life are truly compelling, but they are incompatible with the biomech industry." He spoke. "The mechs that you design are a latent threat to the mech market in my opinion. You may think that your self-thinking and self-feeling machines will serve humanity as you intended to, but the leeway that you have given to them will ultimately come to bite you back. The more mechs you produce, the greater the odds that a catastrophic development might occur where a mech may turn into a man-hating monster. This risk does not exist in biomechs because none of them ever allow for the possibility of developing independent thought. Only the mech pilot is required to provide this aspect. Nothing else."