The ultimate Star Trek and philosophy : the search for socrates

371 Pages·2016·2.5 MB·English

by  Kevin S. Decker

THE ULTIMATE
STAR TREK AND
PHILOSOPHY
TheBlackwellPhilosophyandPopCultureSeries
SerieseditorWilliamIrwin
Aspoonfulofsugarhelpsthemedicinegodown,andahealthyhelpingofpopularcultureclearsthecobwebsfromKant.
Philosophyhashadapublicrelationsproblemforafewcenturiesnow.Thisseriesaimstochangethat,showingthat
philosophyisrelevanttoyourlife–andnotjustforansweringthebigquestionslike“Tobeornottobe?"butalsofor
answeringthelittlequestions:“TowatchornottowatchSouthPark?"ThinkingdeeplyaboutTV,movies,andmusic
doesn’tmakeyoua“completeidiot."Infactitmightmakeyouaphilosopher,someonewhobelievestheunexaminedlife
isnotworthlivingandtheunexaminedcartoonisnotworthwatching.
Alreadypublishedintheseries:
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THE ULTIMATE
STAR TREK AND
PHILOSOPHY
THE SEARCH FOR
SOCRATES
Edited by
Kevin S. Decker
and
Jason T. Eberl
Thiseditionfirstpublished2016
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Names:Eberl,JasonT.,editor.|Decker,KevinS.,editor.
Title:TheultimateStarTrekandphilosophy/editedbyJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker.
Description:Malden,MA:JohnWiley&Sons,2016.|Includesbibliographicalreferencesand
index.
Identifiers:LCCN2015038416(print)|LCCN2015041167(ebook)|ISBN9781119146001
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Subjects:LCSH:StarTrektelevisionprograms–Historyandcriticism.|StarTrekfilms–History
andcriticism.
Classification:LCCPN1992.8.S74U582016(print)|LCCPN1992.8.S74(ebook)|
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1 2016
Contents
Voyaging Defiantly through the
Philosophical Galaxy
Acknowledgments:TheCommandStaffofUtopiaPlanitia ix
Introduction:AGuidetoLivingLongandProspering 1
I AlphaQuadrant:HomeSystems 5
1 “TheMoreComplextheMind,theGreatertheNeedfor
theSimplicityofPlay” 7
JasonT.Eberl
2 AristotleandJamesT.Kirk:TheProblemofGreatness 18
JeroldJ.Abrams
3 TheMoralPsychologyofaStarshipCaptain 26
TimChallans
4 “MakeItSo”:Kant,Confucius,andthePrimeDirective 36
AlejandroBa´rcenasandSteveBein
5 DestroyingUtopias:WhyKirkIsaJerk 47
DavidKyleJohnson
6 “WeAreNotGoingtoKillToday”:StarTrekandthe
PhilosophyofPeace 59
DavidBoersema
II BetaQuadrant:DangerousRivalries 69
7 Klingons:ACulturalPastiche 71
VictorGrech
v
vi CONTENTS
8 TheBorgasContagiousCollectivistTechno-Totalitarian
Transhumanists 83
DanDinello
9 AssimilationandAutonomy 95
BarbaraStock
10 Q:ARude,Interfering,Inconsiderate,SadisticPest—ona
QuestforJustice? 105
KyleAlkemaandAdamBarkman
11 FederationTrekonomics:Marx,theFederation,andthe
ShiftfromNecessitytoFreedom 115
JeffEwing
12 “TheNeedsoftheManyOutweightheNeedsofthe
Few”:UtilitarianismandStarTrek 127
GregLittmann
13 CasuistryintheFinalFrontier 138
CourtlandLewis
III DeltaQuadrant:QuestingforHome 149
14 “TodayIsaGoodDaytoDie!”TransportersandHuman
Extinction 151
WilliamJaworski
15 TwoKirks,TwoRikers 162
TripMcCrossin
16 Data,Kant,andPersonhood;or,WhyDataIsNota
Toaster 172
NinaRosenstand
17 Humans,Androids,Cyborgs,andVirtualBeings:All
aboardtheEnterprise 180
DennisM.Weiss
18 Photons(andDrones)BeFree:Phenomenologyandthe
Life-WorldsofVoyager’sDoctorandSevenofNine 190
NicoleR.Pramik
19 VisionQuestintoIndigenousSpace 199
WalterRobinson
CONTENTS vii
IV GammaQuadrant:InfiniteDiversityinInfinite
Combinations 211
20 RethinkingtheMatter:OrganiansAreStillOrganisms 213
MelanieJohnson-Moxley
21 “InSearchof ...”Friendship:WhatWeCanLearnfrom
AndroidsandVulcans 223
JamesM.Okapal
22 ResistanceIsNegligible:InPraiseofCyborgs 232
LisaCassidy
23 “WhoIReallyAm”:Odo,Mead,andtheSelf 243
PamelaJGBoyer
24 IsLiberationEveraBadThing?Enterprise’s“Cogenitor”
andMoralRelativism 253
WilliamA.Lindenmuth
25 ResistanceReallyIsFutile:OnBeingAssimilatedbyOur
OwnTechnology 264
DenaHurst
V BeyondtheGalacticBarrier:TheFutureastheFinal
Frontier 273
26 LifeonaHolodeck:WhatStarTrekCanTeachUsabout
theTrueNatureofReality 275
DaraFogel
27 WhichSpockIstheRealOne?AlternateUniversesand
Identity 288
AndrewZimmermanJones
28 “StrangelyCompelling”:Romanticismin“TheCityon
theEdgeofForever” 299
SarahO’Hare
29 ItIsaQofLife:QasaNietzscheanFigure 308
CharlesTaliaferroandBaileyWheelock
30 AGodNeedsCompassion,butNotaStarship:Star
Trek’sHumanistTheology 315
JamesF.McGrath
viii CONTENTS
31 “TheHumanAdventureIsJustBeginning”:StarTrek’s
SecularSociety 326
KevinS.Decker
Contributors:FederationAmbassadorstoBabel 340
Index 349