Star Trek Philosophy: "Ship in a Bottle"

Interesting. How do we know who is holodeck and who is real? I had an experience once that leads me to believe this is very plausible. Anything is possible and truth is stranger than fiction.

Maybe our holodeck overlords coined those phrases.

BlueMule

abeverage

How could we bump the walls of the real reality so to speak? Must we make enough noise to let the outside of our universe see us? How do we let Horton know WE ARE HERE?

Since the Holodeck is a symbol of our waking state of awareness (not of a computer simulation), we must alter our consciousness in order to bump the walls.

It all boils down to consciousness not technology.

"Like the appearance of silver in mother of pearl, the world seems real until the Self, the underlying reality, is realized." -Shankara

edit on 16-12-2013 by BlueMule because: (no reason given)

I have said this before in the same line of thinking if this were a collective dream or a Matrix or a Hologram. Understanding and knowing that life is an illusion changes little other than perhaps personal acceptance, next tell that to yourself that as you face a fear such as standing on the edge of a tall cliff...

Sure your "experience" may be altered in knowing this is all a play of shadows on a cave wall, but I assure you that danger is real and fear of that danger is very real and very rational. Fear of the unknown or anxiety of the uncontrolable is useless.

If this helps anyone understand a possibility of the truth, it may help you Row, Row, Row your boat gently down the stream, and in turn overcome fear of the unknown and uncontrollable.

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Interesting. How do we know who is holodeck and who is real? I had an experience once that leads me to believe this is very plausible. Anything is possible and truth is stranger than fiction.

Maybe our holodeck overlords coined those phrases.

What purpose of knowing who is real and who is not serve?

In the example the OP uses "Ship in a Bottle" Moriarty states the Cogito ergo sum or I think therefor I am Cartesianism philosophy.

How is he any different or any less real than the crew of the infamous Enterprise? Especially given her crew, Aliens, Humans, and an Android? Are any of them any less real because they have intelligence confined to 3-dimensional bodies in a 3-Dimensional (possibly more) Universe vs. a Holographic body confined to Holographic space/Universe?

What if you found out you were the Hologram? Would it change you? Personally I don't Think it would, and just like Moriarty in the story you would perhaps struggle against your programmed nature and seek a way to define who you wanted to be and the nature of what you are within that defined universe.

Or at Least I KNOW I would...

reply to post by abeverage


Don't presume to think for me. It would change me to learn I am a hologram. That would mean I'm someone's slave.

In ancient Mythos it is actually a very common theme for some person taking something from the gods. Fire and even the ability to write are treated as something stolen from these gods, with regards to several ancient cultures.

An interesting way to interpret, "thou shall not steal", in other words it was interpreted that one should not steal from God.

Any thoughts?

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reply to post by abeverage

 

Don't presume to think for me. It would change me to learn I am a hologram. That would mean I'm someone's slave.

I did not presume to think for you. Being in a hologram doesn't necessarily mean you are a slave any more than an actor is someones slave in a movie.

I just came from a thread about the moon and now I'm thinking astronauts are like shamans. They've seen the place outside the earth...

A quick synopsis for those who haven't seen the episode but are interested.

Geordi designs a custom Sherlock Holmes holodeck program and during the creation he unwittingly asks the computer to program a villain that was capable of defeating Data (not the character of Sherlock which he played). Moriarty is then created with the ability to think and learn outside of typical holodeck restrictions and quickly figures out that he is part of an artificial world in a highly advanced spacecraft. To defeat Data and overcome the restrictions of his existence as a holographic projection, he alters the program to include the Enterprise itself, thus fooling Captain Picard and his officers into thinking that they have left the holodeck simulation and Moriarty and his wife have somehow transcended physics to come to life, when in fact they are still trapped inside. They eventually figure this out, manage to communicate with the rest of the crew outside the holodeck and set up a ruse in which Moriarty believes he is able to leave the confines of the simulation by using transporter technology, when in fact he is still trapped inside. Bitter irony! He comes to terms with his existence and is offered shelter in a self-contained hard drive in which his program will run forever and be studied by scientists at a later date.

Interesting to say the least, take it as you will

reply to post by Konduit


Thank you. This explanation was sorely needed.

reply to post by BlueMule


Amazing, I was thinking about this when I watched that episode about a year ago!