One is that this is her area of expertise, and she’s had a lot of experience with Data, so she shouldn’t be so confidently saying something like this, which very likely either leads down the path that Data isn’t a person, or that people aren’t people.
Two is that as an empath, she may be unconsciously bigoted against those whose emotions she cannot sense.
Three may be her actual defense, which is that she’s a counselor who is actively counseling a patient. So, it’s possible that a counselor may have to say false things to a patient if those things are the things that will help the patient the most.
Three thoughts about Troi.
One is that this is her area of expertise, and she’s had a lot of experience with Data, so she shouldn’t be so confidently saying something like this, which very likely either leads down the path that Data isn’t a person, or that people aren’t people.
Two is that as an empath, she may be unconsciously bigoted against those whose emotions she cannot sense.
Three may be her actual defense, which is that she’s a counselor who is actively counseling a patient. So, it’s possible that a counselor may have to say false things to a patient if those things are the things that will help the patient the most.
I wonder if that means she doesn’t consider ferengi as people since they’re also impervious to betazed telepathy.
I know a lot of Ferengi. They aren’t people. Not until DS9 at least.
The advice she’s giving is specifically true for this situation and not generally true of all holograms.
Also, if the Federation acknowledged sentience in the AIs that Barclay created, oh boy. Straight to jail for Barclay, I bet.
I’m not sure that you can boil down an old philosophical matter so easily, regardless.
I like to bring up the zombie thought experiment in these situations.