The phrase "more human than human" from the film Bladerunner comes to mind. Turning off Data, with the knowledge that he can be turned back on at any time does not constitute murder, however it does make the tool analogy more applicable. Picard believes that Data is self-aware and has the mind/body view that supports that while Maddox believes that this is merely programming and his self-awareness is only data processing. But it is the fact that Picard, as does the crew and audience, feels something for Data that does seem to add that anthropomorphic quality to him, which Maddox infers to be a misperception. Slavery is unfortunately imposed on beings that cannot defend themselves from it, whether it is people or horses or cows. A race of Datas would not be "slaveable" if their sentience were true since part of Data's existence is to grow and evolve and a...
[ View Full Essay]