Ted Chiang - Speculations on educating artificial lifeforms

If we ever create artificial lifeforms capable of human-like cognition, how might we teach them the things we want them to know? The author of "The Lifecycle of Software Objects" describes some of the thinking that went into the scenario depicted in the novella. Some of the topics mentioned include the relationship between artificial intelligence and artificial life, Piaget's stages of cognitive development, the differences between speech and writing, and the ethics of owning intelligent beings.