Does anyone ever feel like Data or Spock from Star Trek?

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According to previous research Im VULCAN no wonder humans ask me to simplify when I talk Which leads to why conclusion why talk when no one understands my format of speaking. My VULCAN name is CATRA from events from my past lets start a society of logical humans alone we are weak but together we stand strong pass the information along.

I feel more like Schultz from Hogan's Heroes.

I've only ever seen TNG, so I can only comment on Data (I have not met Spock).

I love the character Data. I wish I could be as smart as he is and know as much information as he does. I wouldn't necessarily say that I feel like I am him, although I relate to his literal thinking and his attempts at belonging. Mostly, I think he is so different from a normal human.

I am an autistic human. He is a highly sophisticated, computerized person. Fundamentally, I am very different from Data. However, it's nice to be more human than somebody like Data.

I have a constant war with myself over whether Data and Chi [from Chobits] are sentient or not. My spirited-ness naturally says no, even though they seem human, or are at least trying to discover what being human means. If a robot was built the same way as them but wasn't in human form and didn't have a human voice, would the question still stand?

Absolutely, as long as the being is self aware. 'The being' can be a non-organic construct or not.

Think of it this way:
At one time, all other animals but humans were thought to be unaware and therefore non-sentient.

Well, it's been proven otherwise. So, shape/container of sentience does not matter.

If it did, and you have a belief in any sort of after life, then you would lose your sentience at death instead of remaining as another form of sentience.

Well, that's my logic and I am sticking to it like butter on a griddle.

My Avatar should be sufficient of a giveaway.

But...but...why are you dressed as Ensign Perelman?

^^^But what does 'self-aware' mean? I can be aware of everything else but myself, so by that logic, in that instant, I would not be sentient.

One must be aware of oneself to understand that you are aware of another. The self awareness is proven by the ability to distinguish between oneself and any other. Further proof is there is an awareness of self awareness to begin with to give the ability to distinguish.

Edit: Here is how I see me.

I see people as flesh machines. I have no more initial connection to people than I do to any machine in general. I can actually be more connected to things easily than with people. Mechanical devices make sense and can be taken apart, fixed, grokked and made new again. I see people all around me all the time. I look at them and wonder if they think the same things I do. Why are they doing what they are doing? It's almost as if it's a clinical expedition. I am Goodall and the rest of humanity (No, I am not calling humanity apes or being derogatory) are my subjects to study. I do what I can to blend in and study the habits so I can understand something. What mysterious things do they see that makes them aggressive. Why do they follow such illogical patterns? Do I move this way or that to avoid conflict? What movements do I do that set them off?

But, I am completely self aware at all times. Simply because I can understand my 'otherness' from the rest of the world.

Last edited by zkydz on 17 Apr 2016, 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

^ That went completely over my head. Oh well.

I did think of something I added. But, I must admit that I may have just bungled my attempt at an explanation. But, it's the best I can do. Sorry...
One o' me failings me bucko.....

^I'll just smile and say 'Fascinating'.

Can you do the arched eyebrow thing too?

^Yes, and my 'arched eyebrow thing' is rather impressive because my eyebrows are bushy and dark. I can also do the Vulcan salute with both hands.

I feel more like Lieutenant Reginald Endicott "Reg" Barclay III, from ST:TNG.

Think of self-awareness in its most basic form:

An internal representation of the body on one layer

Then add another layer that represents where each part is in relation to the others.

The first is super low-level & hard wired. It's just a mapping of the ends of the somatic sensory nerves. The second is a layer of connections and nerves on top of the first that simply changes based on where the different parts are in 3-d space, as caused by changes in which skin & muscle nerves are sending signals.

Now consider that our brains do something similar with our eyes. We map the neurons from our retinas onto the back of our brain, representing the light, dark, color and movement of objects outside us. The next layer recognizes where those things are in 3-d space.

Between the two sets is another connective logic layer that integrates where our body parts are in that scene our eyes relayed. Non-sighted animals that can learn do something similar with touch, btw; they make a map and place themselves in it.

That is the most basic representation of Self; your body and where it is in the physical world.

Start adding layers in the higher, more abstract parts of our brain and it's much the same, just orders of magnitude more complex. It's how we do things like predict what will happen next based on prior experience; we represent the present and compare it to similar past experiences.

Eventually, with enough layers we name ourselves & think we're pretty special compared to non-verbal/lingual animals. Really we're just more complex. Sometimes, a bit too much so.

Last edited by Edenthiel on 17 Apr 2016, 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.