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: 24andPhilosophy:TheWorldAccordingtoJack TheHungerGamesandPhilosophy:ACritiqueofPure EditedbyJenniferHartWeed,RichardBrianDavis,and Treason RonaldWeed EditedbyGeorgeDunnandNicolasMichaud 30RockandPhilosophy:WeWanttoGotoThere InceptionandPhilosophy:BecauseIt’sNeverJustaDream EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski EditedbyDavidJohnson AliceinWonderlandandPhilosophy:Curiouserand IronManandPhilosophy:FacingtheStarkReality Curiouser EditedbyMarkD.White EditedbyRichardBrianDavis LostandPhilosophy:TheIslandHasItsReasons ArrestedDevelopmentandPhilosophy:They’veMadea EditedbySharonM.Kaye HugeMistake MadMenandPhilosophy:NothingIsasItSeems EditedbyKristopherPhillipsandJ.JeremyWisnewski EditedbyJamesSouthandRodCarveth AvatarandPhilosophy:LearningtoSee MetallicaandPhilosophy:ACrashCourseinBrain EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn Surgery TheAvengersandPhilosophy:Earth’sMightiestThinkers EditedbyWilliamIrwin EditedbyMarkD.White TheOfficeandPhilosophy:ScenesfromtheUnfinished BatmanandPhilosophy:TheDarkKnightoftheSoul Life EditedbyMarkD.WhiteandRobertArp EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski BattlestarGalacticaandPhilosophy:KnowledgeHere SonsofAnarchyandPhilosophy:BrainsBeforeBullets BeginsOutThere EditedbyGeorgeA.DunnandJasonT.Eberl EditedbyJasonT.Eberl SouthParkandPhilosophy:YouKnow,ILearned TheBigBangTheoryandPhilosophy:Rock,Paper, SomethingToday Scissors,Aristotle,Locke EditedbyRobertArp EditedbyDeanKowalski Spider-ManandPhilosophy:TheWebofInquiry TheBigLebowskiandPhilosophy:KeepingYourMind EditedbyJonathanSanford LimberwithAbidingWisdom SupermanandPhilosophy:WhatWouldtheManofSteel EditedbyPeterS.Fosl Do? BioShockandPhilosophy:IrrationalGame,Rational EditedbyMarkD.White Book SupernaturalandPhilosophy:MetaphysicsandMonsters EditedbyLukeCuddy ...forIdjits BlackSabbathandPhilosophy:MasteringReality EditedbyGalenForesman EditedbyWilliamIrwin TerminatorandPhilosophy:I’llBeBack,ThereforeIAm TheDailyShowandPhilosophy:MomentsofZeninthe EditedbyRichardBrownandKevinDecker ArtofFakeNews TrueBloodandPhilosophy:WeWannaThinkBad EditedbyJasonHolt ThingswithYou DowntonAbbeyandPhilosophy:TheTruthIsNeither EditedbyGeorgeDunnandRebeccaHousel HereNorThere TwilightandPhilosophy:Vampires,Vegetarians,andthe EditedbyMarkD.White PursuitofImmortality Dungeons&DragonsandPhilosophy:ReadandGain EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski AdvantageonAllWisdomChecks TheUltimateDailyShowandPhilosophy:More EditedbyChristopherRobichaud MomentsofZen,MoreMomentsofIndecisionTheory Ender’sGameandPhilosophy:TheLogicGateisDown EditedbyJasonHolt EditedbyKevinS.Decker TheUltimateHarryPotterandPhilosophy:Hogwartsfor FamilyGuyandPhilosophy:ACureforthePetarded Muggles EditedbyJ.JeremyWisnewski EditedbyGregoryBassham FinalFantasyandPhilosophy:TheUltimateWalkthrough TheUltimateLostandPhilosophy:ThinkTogether,Die EditedbyJasonP.BlahutaandMichelS.Beaulieu Alone GameofThronesandPhilosophy:LogicCutsDeeper EditedbySharonKaye ThanSwords TheUltimateSouthParkandPhilosophy:RespectMy EditedbyHenryJacoby Philosophah! TheGirlWiththeDragonTattooandPhilosophy: EditedbyRobertArpandKevinS.Decker EverythingisFire TheUltimateStarWarsandPhilosophy:YouMust EditedbyEricBronson UnlearnWhatYouHaveLearned GreenLanternandPhilosophy:NoEvilShallEscapethis EditedbyJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Decker Book TheUltimateStarTrekandPhilosophy:TheSearchfor EditedbyJaneDrydenandMarkD.White Socrates HeroesandPhilosophy:BuytheBook,SavetheWorld EditedbyKevinS.DeckerandJasonT.Eberl EditedbyDavidKyleJohnson TheWalkingDeadandPhilosophy:Shotgun.Machete. TheHobbitandPhilosophy:ForWhenYou’veLostYour Reason. Dwarves,YourWizard,andYourWay EditedbyChristopherRobichaud EditedbyGregoryBasshamandEricBronson WatchmenandPhilosophy:ARorschachTest HouseandPhilosophy:EverybodyLies EditedbyMarkD.White EditedbyHenryJacoby VeronicaMarsandPhilosophy:Investigatingthe HouseofCardsandPhilosophy:Capitalismwithout MysteriesofLife(WhichisaBitchUntilYouDie) Consumerism EditedbyGeorgeA.Dunn EditedbyJ.EdwardHackett X-MenandPhilosophy:AstonishingInsightandUncanny ArgumentintheMutantX-Verse EditedbyRebeccaHouselandJ.JeremyWisnewski THE ULTIMATE STAR TREK AND PHILOSOPHY THE SEARCH FOR SOCRATES Edited by Kevin S. Decker and Jason T. Eberl Thiseditionfirstpublished2016 ©2016JohnWiley&SonsLtd RegisteredOffice JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK EditorialOffices 350MainStreet,Malden,MA02148-5020,USA 9600GarsingtonRoad,Oxford,OX42DQ,UK TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK Fordetailsofourglobaleditorialoffices,forcustomerservices,andforinformationabouthow toapplyforpermissiontoreusethecopyrightmaterialinthisbookpleaseseeourwebsiteat www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. TherightofJasonT.EberlandKevinS.Deckertobeidentifiedastheauthorsoftheeditorial materialinthisworkhasbeenassertedinaccordancewiththeUKCopyright,Designsand PatentsAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingor otherwise,exceptaspermittedbytheUKCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,withoutthe priorpermissionofthepublisher. 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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData 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 (pbk.)|ISBN9781119146018(AdobePDF)|ISBN9781119146025(ePub) Subjects:LCSH:StarTrektelevisionprograms–Historyandcriticism.|StarTrekfilms–History andcriticism. Classification:LCCPN1992.8.S74U582016(print)|LCCPN1992.8.S74(ebook)| DDC791.45/75–dc23 LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2015038416 AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. Setin10.5/13ptSabonLTStdbyAptaraInc.,NewDelhi,India 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