I'm curious as to how something that is light and forcefields gains "sentience." All the holonovel characters read from a selected list of responses to stimuli, and act based on the parameters of their program. If they're somehow sentient, it's because the program is malfunctioning and needs to be repaired and/or reset.
Are holograms the slave class of the Federation?
- Thread starter DarthTom
- Start date
To be completely fair, it's not the projection that gains sapience, but, rather, the computer program running it. How does that work? *shrugs* How does a collection of neurons firing electro-chemical signals gain sapience?
Isn't that kinda how the human brain works, too? It reacts to stimuli on the basis of preprogramed behaviors?
Wow. Hey. You're talking about the equivalent of killing or brain damaging someone.
The fun of these sort of storylines has always been about where we draw the line; what is life? Computer programmers have similarly been searching since at least the 1960s, with their chess-playing programs of the time.
What is life? What is sentient life? Pro-life and pro-choice advocates can't even agree about this regarding our own species. And then there is old age, trauma and disease, and the question of assisted suicide; does a comatic, persistant vegetative state qualify as life?
Do computer viruses constitute life? They reproduce, they seem exhibit at least some self-awareness.
The next question is -- does it matter? If we create an absolutely new synthetic mosquito, are we honor-bound to preserve it?
I count Data and the Voyager doctor as unique, intelligent, and life; they are also fictitious. The Moriarty character amounts to a computer virus -- something like a huge mosquito to be swatted.
The big question is, what is life to us?
What is life? What is sentient life? Pro-life and pro-choice advocates can't even agree about this regarding our own species. And then there is old age, trauma and disease, and the question of assisted suicide; does a comatic, persistant vegetative state qualify as life?
Do computer viruses constitute life? They reproduce, they seem exhibit at least some self-awareness.
The next question is -- does it matter? If we create an absolutely new synthetic mosquito, are we honor-bound to preserve it?
I count Data and the Voyager doctor as unique, intelligent, and life; they are also fictitious. The Moriarty character amounts to a computer virus -- something like a huge mosquito to be swatted.
The big question is, what is life to us?
The EMH Doctor(Robert Picardo) could become like Jesse Jackson, shaking down Federation places on the slightest accusation. Then to avoid rioting and violence the Feds will cough up some cash. Of course, the Doc will have trouble staying out of the bushes.(From Jesse's stay out of the bushes anti Bush remarks that were modified to a whole new meaning when he was having the affair)
I had a pet theory that the Doctor's sentience was a result of a combination tVoyager's bio-neural circuitry and the ship's unique circumstances.
I would have ended the Doctor's arc on the show with the ship showing up to Earth. Then, a new, biological doctor from Starfleet shows up and relieves the Doctor. Then, inexplicably, the EMH reverts to it's original program, no longer needing tthe upgrades to serve the ship. Attempts to retrieve his upgraded program would be unsuccessful (Similar to Riker being unable to find the Minuet program in 11001001).
I would have ended the Doctor's arc on the show with the ship showing up to Earth. Then, a new, biological doctor from Starfleet shows up and relieves the Doctor. Then, inexplicably, the EMH reverts to it's original program, no longer needing tthe upgrades to serve the ship. Attempts to retrieve his upgraded program would be unsuccessful (Similar to Riker being unable to find the Minuet program in 11001001).
Phasers, turbolifts, and tricorders don't have creative imaginations, a sense of individuality, self-will, selfish and altruistic desires, personalities, nor do they feel love, hatred, and all the things in between. They can't betray their friends -- they can't even have friends. They can't develop new and unique hobbies and interests. They can't develop relationships, they can't change over time, and they can't seek to exceed the limits of their programing.
We have seen the Doctor and other EMHs do all of the above.
No one's arguing that the average hologram on the holodeck is sapient or sentient. But programs like the Doctor, like Data, clearly are.
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
That would've been a disheartening and sad way to end the Doctor. Actually I like that ending, the idea of losing a crewman they never thought they could.
Or weirder, the EMH reveals it was actually an alien entity all along merely assuming the role/appearance of an EMH.
(That would been disregarding all the other hologram episodes, but if they had the idea from day one.)
I think you may want to re-word that statement, as it smacks of racism. Jesse Jackson is a fine representative of the African American people and certainly does not ever "shake down" places. I will chalk that up to a poor choice of wording on your part. Whatever it is you think he does, he does not do it at the "slightest accusation".
It wasn't racist, it just describes what he does. Now it was racist when Jesse called New York Hymie town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Jackson
Guys, don't discuss Jesse Jackson here.
