Changes: Ethical subroutine

Revision as of 16:24, 8 May 2006

Ethical subroutines are a programmatic method to describe the characteristics by which artificial lifeforms, like Lieutenant Commander Data or Lore; and holograms, like The Doctor, determine what is ethically right and wrong.

In 2369, Lore disabled Data's ethical subrouties and made him perform dangerous experiments on the Borg and Geordi La Forge. With no moral obligation to his friend, Data no longer cared if he hurt La Forge. (TNG: "Descent, Part I" and "Part II")

The crew of the USS Equinox disabled their EMH's ethcial subroutines so that he would not object to killing sentient lifeforms to increase the Equinox's warp power. The Doctor's ethical subroutines were also disabled, and, in his altered state, he extracted information from Seven of Nine's Borg implants. (VOY: "Equinox, Part I" and "Part II")

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+'''Ethical subroutines''' are a programmatic method to describe the characteristics by which [[Artificial intelligence|artificial lifeforms]], like [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]] or [[Lore]]; and [[holograms]], like [[The Doctor]], determine what is [[Ethics|ethically]] right and wrong.
-An '''ethical program''' was a special routine written by [[Doctor|Dr.]] [[Noonien Soong]] to allow his [[Soong type android|Soong-type androids]] to tell the difference between right and wrong, as well as apply morals to their existence.
-[[Data]] suffered a shutdown of his program during his abduction by [[Lore]] and his renegade [[Borg]]. Upon reactivation of his ethical subroutines he was able to resist Lore's will for him to continue being villainous. ([[TNG]]: "[[Descent]] and [[Descent, Part II]]")
+In [[2369]], Lore disabled Data's ethical subrouties and made him perform dangerous experiments on the [[Borg]] and [[Geordi La Forge]].  With no moral obligation to his friend, Data no longer cared if he hurt La Forge. ([[TNG]]: "[[Descent, Part I]]" and "[[Descent, Part II|Part II]]")
+The [[crew]] of the [[USS Equinox|USS ''Equinox'']] disabled their [[EMH]]'s ethcial subroutines so that he would not object to killing [[sentient]] [[lifeform]]s to increase the ''Equinox'''s [[warp]] power.  [[The Doctor]]'s ethical subroutines were also disabled, and, in his altered state, he extracted information from [[Seven of Nine]]'s Borg implants. ([[VOY]]: "[[Equinox, Part I]]" and "[[Equinox, Part II|Part II]]")
-:''It is surmised that Soong installed this ethical program in all of his androids, but as shown by Lore's maliciousness, the program installed in his positronic brain was flawed. B-4, childlike in nature, most likely had similar software installed. This most likely is a reference to [[Isaac Asimov]]'s [[wikipedia:Three Laws of Robotics|"Three Laws of Robotics"]], the mainstay of which was to do no harm to any living being intentionally.''
 [[Category:Computer terminology]]