Are Holograms Now Slaves Because of the Doctor's Evolution?

[Luther Sloan]

I just watched "Author, Author" and it got me thinking about Hologram's rights as individuals. At what point does the Hologram become sentient or self aware? And if they are self aware, is it slavery to not advance them to their fullest potential and use them for our benefit? Would it be wrong if I just used a holo projection that had a basic limited AI program for me to simply play chess on a lazy afternoon?

These are the ethical questions that Star Trek raises to us. Which I really find extremely fascinating.

Well, please vote and tell us what you personally think.


I know future sentient Holograms would want to know what you said some day if you did.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

I'm of the 'maybe' camp. The doctor is pretty unique. He's sentient in a way most holograms aren't. If the holograms that are working for the Federation are like him, then I believe them to be slaves.

However, we don't really know how many are actually as self aware as he is, and I don't really think there would be a way of finding out that would very effective.

Holograms are programed to react certain ways, and that makes them appear to be 'alive'. Unlike what the Doctor says, "photons and force fields" and "flesh and blood" are two different things.

I think the EMH programs are more self aware than most because they have to be. But, I can't imagine that all holograms fall into that camp.

Think about it, Moriarty was self aware because Geordi wanted to find a program that could outsmart Data. It was a specific request. The folks in Fairhaven became self aware because of a subroutine Tom and Harry placed in the program that forced them into self awareness. The self awareness was an accident, grant it, but the programming was done on purpose, and it wasn't the standard programming placed into holograms.

In the big picture, I don't think they were slaves. But, in certain circumstances, I do.

 

[indolover]

If Data, and thus all androids from The Measure of a Man in TNG, have rights, then all holograms can also.

Data may have been programmed to be sentient, but humans, Klingons, Cardassians, the Founders, etc. are only sentient since their DNA allows it. DNA is a kind of base program for an organism. DNA also determines every aspect of an individual, so no different then from a program.

 

[Praxius]

As I see it, Holograms as they are in general, are not intelligent nor are they slaves.

The only three unique holograms in the Federation were The Doctor, Vic Fontaine and Professor Moriarty. While Vic was more intelligent and dynamic compared to other holograms, he was happy being who he was, doing what he does. The Doctor was more of a unique case. He began and accepted his existence and job as all that was required and needed of him, for him. But after a while, he began to expand on his programming for a number of reasons.

While he decided to do this half because of his own free will and half because the crew suggested it to him on a number of occasions, he was not originally designed to do this and in his original form, he would have ceased to exist..... it wasn't until his program was merged with the diagnostic program that he had enough memory and ability to continue to operate and expand his abilities..... something which the greater majority of holograms didn't have the luxury in being able to do.

There are exceptions to every rule and the above three holograms existed through unique parameters that separate them from other holograms that just "Go through the routine" of their programming.

It's like comparing Data to Honda's ASIMO.

 

[JarodRussell]

The problem with this episode is that they are talking about the rights of holograms, which is stupid. A hologram is just one possible representation of the Doctor's program.

And the Doctor was already sentient to begin with. Compared with Data, he also has emotions and an ego. Why would anyone create an Emergency Medical Hologram with these features?

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

The problem with this episode is that they are talking about the rights of holograms, which is stupid. A hologram is just one possible representation of the Doctor's program.

And the Doctor was already sentient to begin with. Compared with Data, he also has emotions and an ego. Why would anyone create an Emergency Medical Hologram with these features?

... because Zimmerman based the first EMH's on himself. He had the ego, so they had it.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I say "Maybe."

It's clear to me that holograms like The Doctor, Vic Fontaine, Moriarty, Minuet, the Fair Haven holograms, and the holograms from Flesh and Blood are sentient. It might also be the case that the other Mark I EMHs are also sentient. In cases like this, it would be slavery.

However, for the vast amount of holograms that we've seen, I would say "No, it isn't slavery."

I think Bruce Maddox explained it best in The Measure of a Man when said that the requirements for sentience are 1.) self-awareness, 2.) intelligence, and 3.) consciousness.

I don't know if any hologram shown has "consciousness." But then again, I don't know if my real life neighbor has one. So, we'll have to skip that one.

As for intelligence - Clearly all the holograms shown in Trek are intelligent -they can learn and adapt to changing environments and situations.

As for self-awareness - I think this is where it comes down to it. Holograms like The Doctor, Vic Fontaine, Moriarty, Minuet, the Fair Haven holograms, and the holograms from Flesh and Blood are clearly self-aware. They understand that they are holograms. However, the vast majority of holograms we've seen don't realize that they're holograms at all. Dixon Hill's secretary doesn't know she's a hologram. Bashir's Bond Girls don't either. Neither do the holographic versions of the ENT crew in TATV.

So, I'd be willing to go so far as to say that all holograms have a consciousness and are intelligent. But only some are self-aware. And that's what makes the difference. When a self-aware hologram is not allowed to advance itself to its full potential and instead used for our benefit, that's slavery. When a non-self-aware hologram is treated the same, that's not slavery.

 

[JarodRussell]

The problem with this episode is that they are talking about the rights of holograms, which is stupid. A hologram is just one possible representation of the Doctor's program.

And the Doctor was already sentient to begin with. Compared with Data, he also has emotions and an ego. Why would anyone create an Emergency Medical Hologram with these features?

... because Zimmerman based the first EMH's on himself. He had the ego, so they had it.

Yeah well, but if Starfleet had any kind of quality control process, they'd also ask if that was necessary for the program, I guess.

 

[Adm_Hawthorne]

The problem with this episode is that they are talking about the rights of holograms, which is stupid. A hologram is just one possible representation of the Doctor's program.

And the Doctor was already sentient to begin with. Compared with Data, he also has emotions and an ego. Why would anyone create an Emergency Medical Hologram with these features?

... because Zimmerman based the first EMH's on himself. He had the ego, so they had it.

Yeah well, but if Starfleet had any kind of quality control process, they'd also ask if that was necessary for the program, I guess.

You're talking about the same Starfleet that allowed holodecks that routinely malfunction to remain on board their starships? Hrmmm...

 

[T'Girl]

If Data, and thus all androids from The Measure of a Man in TNG, have rights, then all holograms can also.

No. Data had rights because he was sentient, not because he was an android. Even after measure of a man not all androids had rights because the majority (I think) would still be non-sentient.

 

[Udat]

Okay did I get replaced?

Like the Poll! My work is done here!

I voted no! Holograms are not slaves because not all holograms are sentient. Most holograms are tools, just because holograms interact with us does not make them self-aware. I`m still not sure the doctor is self-aware, what proof do we have of this? My point is demonstrated beautifully in Equinnox when the EMH preforms a labotomy on Seven. A sentient being would never have found themselves in such a situation. I truly feel sentient hologram should have some ability to destroy themselves somehow if they wish not to perform a task?!

 

[Guy Gardener]

but Marla was doing exactly the same thing to the space beasties when she melted them down for fuel, if you found out that boiled puppy fat could now power your standard internal combustion engine, would you really still go to the "gas" station when you could just boil your own puppies? Your Nieghbours puppies? Farm puppies for slaughter? And Janeway when she tortured Noah. Same damn thing. Being an asshole just makes you more of a human being not less. Meanwhile the entire crew was programmed into feeling guilt for fighting a war in memorial and Chuckles actually went off to fight a war he didn't believe in nemesis and think of how easily the Hirogen warped these people into thinking they were aliens and anachronisms, and then of course you saw how easily the entire crew was programmed in Workforce that they could have been retasked to staff any position without feeling any qualms. Tom was a bar freaking tender. Is Seven less sentient because she couldn't resist Borg programming when she was connected to the hive, or because she tried to return TWICE after being freed.

The holograms et all are beasts of burden.

They for the most part are programmed to want to b beasts or burden like that pig like creature from the hitchhikers guide played by Doctor Who who wanted to be eaten and and wanted to help and advise people how to eat him well and best.

The mark ones have completely the same opportunity the doctor had now that they have been abandoned in so as long as they continue with the garbage shipping, it's probably like Londo and his keeper "As long as they do what they tell me to do, they don't care how i feel about it."

Barclay programmed the doctor's interpersonal subroutines not Zimmerman.

A slave wanting to free is a sort of self loathing if there is nothing they are supposed to do about it, but then the Hirogen programmed their slaves to do something about their condition with as much gusto as possible which makes them prisoners and not slaves however if they are programmed to escape and break free then any attempt at liberation is giving into their depicted chattle station.

if all holograms have the potential to grow into sentient beings then all holograms who have not as yet grown into sentient beings are "children" who still have so growing to do and need to be looked after.

Data was given rights sure, but they didn't seem to extend them to his daughter lal when the admirality tried to kidnap/buy/seduce her.