Discussion: Humans vs. Robots same as Hyenas vs. Lions

"An interesting thing that never takes focus is the legitimacy of terminators as a species. It was hinted at in the podcast of episode 4 but it could be something to elaborate on. Broken down, terminators have all the same qualities as biological organisms. They interact/respond to the environment and are much more complex than many species present on this planet. Most importantly, they reproduce (independent of man at this point) and are shaped by natural selection. It is only that their starting point is separate from biological species but this does not make them any less legit as a species competing for niche space on this planet.

From the view of an outside observer on this system who is ignorant of the science or origins of either man or machine, they would see two species in competition. As a younger professor of evolutionary biology/behavior (28yrs old), it is not too uncommon to find myself in discussion with a class or others on this topic (never on terminators but on A.I. beings). It would be neat to have some character or some moment at which point Cameron and John are placed in this discussion, whether it is through some class they are both attending or what. This is especially salient given Cameron's ability to rationalize, she would just need the forum.

Just placing myself in this imaginary situation, I would not be skeptical at all if 2 students asked me to engage as a mediator of this kind of discussion. In fact, there was a forum attended by professors and the public at a local café on the topic of whether robots should replace humans since they would be better care takers (less abusive) of the planet. Younger, more social professors/teachers get pulled into these topics all the time. It would be neat to bring this scenario to the show.
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"***An interesting thing that never takes focus is the legitimacy of terminators as a species.***"