Hi guys, resident Trekkie here! I kept thinking about Star Trek in class yesterday (like I usually do) because the intersection of robots/androids/non-biological beings, religion and who has a soul is often explored so I thought I’d share some examples I thought of!
In TOS episode “The Ultimate Computer” the M5 super computer believes in God and ultimately cuts its own power after determining for itself it has committed grave sins and does not deserve to live.
Throughout TNG series they repeatedly explore and question the nature of the android Data’s existence. The episode “The Measure of a Man” is focused on whether or not Data is a sentient being, does he have autonomy with rights and does he have a soul? The crew of the enterprise and the audience would definitely say yes due to our emotional connection to him.
In Voyager, the ship doctor is a hologram and as the series progresses he seems to become a sentient being. Similar with Data in TNG, the nature of The Doctor’s sentience is continually called into question and explored. Is he owned by Starfleet or is he an autonomous lifeform? By the end of the series it appears very clear, at least to the crew of Voyager (and me), that The Doctor is a sentient being. The series eventually creates the category of “photonic lifeforms” which includes sentient holograms such as The Doctor. The distinction between sentient holograms and non-sentient holograms is also explored. In connection with today’s class, the relationship between religion and holograms is specifically explored in the episode “Flesh and Blood” where other sentient holograms are religious radicals in a way and rise up against their biological creators. Their leader considers himself a prophet and even creates a new religion for his fellow “Children of Light”. Their religious zealousness and crusade for freedom is so human that it serves to reinforce the sentience of these photonic lifeforms.
The question of what is a soul and who has one is often explored in Science Fiction. These explorations of the nature of sentient existence shake us out of binary thinking and leave us to ponder what other forms life can take on. Who are we to dictate who has a soul?
Super interseting post! I think there is another parallel to be drawn between current real-life AI and robotics. It is super interesting to see how people react to an AI or a robot dependent on its looks, or mannerisms. I think when posed the question of how to treat a robot most people react differently if it were to look like a big box with legs versus a little robot puppy.