“Study on Moral Patiency in Ted Chiang’s “The Lifecycle of Software Objects”

This essay analyzes Ted Chiang’s novella “The Lifecycle of Software Objects,” included in the collection Exhalation. The central theoretical concepts explored are moral patiency and the moral patient. Moral patiency refers to the moral status of an Other―typically a being that, due to its vulnerability, is entitled to care from moral agents possessing moral agency. Traditionally, moral patiency has been associated with those unable to protect themselves from harm, thus requiring nurturing and protection. This essay extends the concept of moral patiency to artificially intelligent beings, speculating on the ethical adequacy required for a posthuman environment in which humans coexist with virtual or robotic entities endowed with artificial intelligence. In “The Lifecycle of Software Objects,” the characters confront moral dilemmas regarding their responsibilities toward digients-digital pets that possess human-like intelligence and demonstrate emotional and moral capacities, such as compassion. Although the logic of capitalism pressures the caretakers to sever emotional bonds with the digients, some characters resist, sacrificing personal gain for the well-being of these digital beings. The novella suggests that moral patiency can evolve into moral agency, pointing toward a future in which moral justice is sustained only by addressing the ethical status of virtual beings―beings that challenge and redefine the very notions of humanity and affinity. (Kangwon National University)