More Questions

[toobsok.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the help the first time around! It made me think a lot, and yes, I decided to just move some stuff into the garage and worry about what to do with that at some indeterminate future point.

So now I come to you guys with another question. I've seen a lot of writing about system members being more than just "alters" or "facets" but are real people, which I agree with -- I'm certainly a real person, anyway! XD But I'm not sure if some of the parts of our system are people, so I'm going to ask for more advice.

The frontrunner-who's-gone-now "created" (at least, as far as we know, she made them) a bunch of programs that run specific things. Some of these are useful, like the Smile-and-Nod who can make small talk automatically, and some of them are really, really not, like the Worst Case Scenario (who, as you might guess, is protective to the point of paranoia).

I don't think these are people in the way I and the other people in here are people, but I've been wrong before so it's possible I'm wrong now. Do you have any good suggestions for "disabling" this programming, or at least the parts that are more harmful than helpful? Are they people? Do they have a right to exist? How can I tell? If they have a right to exist, is there some way I can get them to stop functioning while still existing?

Suggestions are, once again, very welcome. And sorry if any of my terminology is offensive.

Comments

[ricktboy.livejournal.com]

I know exactly what you mean. I created progs like that, the main one being called, simply, "parents". it mimics Rachel's voice, mannerisms and whatnot, for when we're away and don't want to deal with the parents, family members, whatnot.

my progs aren't people...they're failsafes. I've got smile and nod ones like the one you described, and ones that comfort, ones that talk online...but they're not people, just programs...like scripts. load, press enter, away it goes.

as for disabling them, i don't know how your system works, so I couldn't tell you...I know in the honeycomb we have a giant computer system I installed, so anyone can disable progs if they know the passcodes...

I wish I could be of more help.

Liz
Pack Collective

[judiff]

we have a not-quite person called youthworker (because she does youthworker type stuff) she's like a habit more than a program. The only time we delibratly set up a way of being she did like eventually turn onto a full person - Puppi - but she hasn't been around much lately.
Anyway, we tried seeing if youthworker wanted to grow into being a full person but that just didn't happen (but she did get a gender). So we had a big talk about when she would be useful and tried to make sure that other people could like cover the stuff she does. Then she faded a bit but does like still turn up sometimes.

[catskillmarina.livejournal.com]

The way we see it is through a generalization of object relations theory. Everything in
your mind has a function and a purpose even if it is to relate to different persons or
habits and routines in your mind. Rather than fighting people, thoughts or routines it is
important to try to understand why they are there and what they do. If they are
destructive you still should give room for them to be just gently remind them that a
particular behavior is destructive.

Buddhist thought teaches one to simply watch ones thoughts in meditation rather than
try to fight them and empty ones mind by force. We try to do that with everyday life.

--- Miri of Mtribe

[tessagratton.livejournal.com]

Can you ask them? Can they speak for themselves? I think that would be an indicator of personhood. If they can respond to you within the body, that suggests they have their own sentience, their own person. But if they only do what they're programmed to do, and can't be nudged out of those perameters, that suggests a lack of personhood.

Luc et al

[toobsok.livejournal.com]

Sounds kind of neat, actually. Go ahead.

[adreamerforme.livejournal.com]

We have a script that runs for the body, that keeps it doing whatever when we're away. Mainly for cooking, walking, saying 'hey' to people when someone says hi to us. Simple things for when we're not quite running the body.
We're actually starting to use a few more, nothing big, mostly just easy tasks that we could figure out to make the body auto-run with.

Umm.... I'm really not sure how to disable them. We've actually never tried. We love having a system to run the body when we're home alone so that we can spend more time inside (there's actually more than enough stuff to do in both places and we're kinda renovating the house right now.)

No sure if any of that helped, really *(scratches head in nervousness)*

Pan