If Lincoln had been a robot....

Had a Confederate soldier killed a unicorn a genie would have popped out and given him three wishes, and then these wishes could be used to acquire a robot by magic. The scenario I just provided really doesn't contribute to this debate. accepting the existence of an advance technology doesn't require explanations involving magic and it is even laughable to give it one. There are many ways to deal with a robot existing the Civil War without leaving the use of known science, pseudo-science, and real history to the use of data with a more mythical tone of fairy's, Santa, Zeus, angles, demons, magic. The problem is that alien explanation have a tone that falls somewhere inbetween. In this debate it is of course expected that we must accept explanations often considered to fantastic to be taken seriously as feasible. But a line is still drawn somewhere. The ridiculous way of considering aliens is the way conspiracy theorist would resort to using them. When taking seriously the existence of an advance space fairing culture, we have to consider what culture they must have that allows them to travel space, and what such a culture would affect their involvement in the civil war. So I would like to make these considerations about aliens in this scenario 1) Aliens would have outlawed the building of robots cause they know these creations will only overthrow them. Robots will do that every time, they probably hold a lot of hatred toward robots. 2) If that would not be the case for there history then we must know it is these robots that keep them from going to war as described on 'the day the earth stood still' (the original) these aliens would not contribute to our war because they are against war at all and if they did leave a robot like that it would stop the countries ability to make war leaving the south free to succeed without opposition. That would Support my case because they would have still won, just without the war. 3) If robot overlords is not related to there lack of visible presence on earth then most science fiction agrees that the reason they remain under the radar on our planet is because of a 'Prime Directive' that much like libertarianism in their isolationist stance. The Prime Directive would make illegal their donation of any robot device to the North, South, British, ect. .. 4) It is also more reasonable to believe that they would have space fairing technology through a very militaristic society. This sort of extra-terestial would be inclined to outright conquer us upon its arrival at Earth. A Scientologist would be quick to agree with me here and they would tell you that conquers name is Xenu. Now to address your contentions. You claim the south had a lack of funds, this is true but as I recall Dr. Frankenstein did not use much cash to make Frankenstein. Plus the dollar bought a lot more back then due inflation. Of course bringing up Inflation does discredit the South's ability to fund a Robot project even more because as you said the Confederate dollar was worthless for that very reason and it was not backed up by anything. But this all must assume that the project Robot politician took place after the succession had occurred. The Wealthy Plantation owners were known for exerting their influence in political affairs*. You would only need one of them to have the foresite to see the war that was coming up to chose to invest in such a project while he was still using US currency that was worth something. By the time the project would be near completion it would become apparent that Lincoln was going to win the election and that his election may drive one of the cotton states over the edge, as it did with South Carolina, putting the war into motion. Because of this they would have made the robot in his image for that is who they would want to replace. It is true that the C. S. S. Hunley was destroyed on its first mission, but not before it sunk an enemy ship so it is still a success. Even if its destruction means it were not a success regardless of what it accomplished on its only mission, you still cannot discount its relevance to this debate. Like you said, both sides had Iron Clad's, but only the Confederates had a ship that traveled underwater. The point is they were using technology that was beyond their time. If we are to expect any country would succeed in making something as beyond their time as a robot that could pass as a human, it would be south because they in reality did use technology beyond their time. All the other advances did not quite push the boundaries of what man can do quite as far as the Hunley. ** I agree you did show the British had motivation as well as the south for making a robot Lincoln but the end goal of the motivation remains in the same interest as the South's. So their use of the Robot would logically lead to aiding the South in winning the war (my position for this debate), You even went to great lengths to show example in real history that proves that was in fact the British interest. So even if we stay with the assumption that the robot was not developed until after the war started and the south was not able to fund such a project themselves, the James Mason and John Slindell could have conceivably brought the engineer who would build the robot with them as the Trent Affair took place. At this point the British could arrange to help the Southern engineer make his robot as a gift, much like the C. S. S. Alabama you mentioned. We agree that Britain had the resources required for a robot, and we agree the the Confederation was innovative which I have shown is pivotal when man is the source of the robot. So showing the the two would ever work together is all that's needed prove my case in a way similar to the Socratic method (not exactly though). *** . http://en.wikipedia.org...*** . http://www.charlestonillustrated.com... # click on 'The Submarine'** . http://www.raken.com...* . http://memory-alpha.org... . http://en.wikipedia.org...