Treat your objects as if they had consciousness

When Jack Cheng teaches his son not to throw toys, he says, “When you throw choo choo, choo choo has an ouchie. Then choo choo feels sad.” In a literal sense, the toy train doesn’t “have” consciousness, the same way that a Word document or AI doesn’t have consciousness. But Jack asks: Wouldn’t our world be better if we did indeed see Word documents as conscious? Would we be more considerate writers and readers, knowing that each composition was bringing beings into being, and give them proper funerals when we were through with them? Would slide decks be less tedious and superfluous if we knew that each Powerpoint presentation was awake, and each chart and table nested within was happiest when able to present its information honestly? Think of how different you’d behave if you treated your objects as a child might treat their valued toys. Instead of buying a new pen each time it ran out of ink, you might find ways to refill the pen. Instead of tossing away a weathered jacket, you might…