Star Trek and Philosophy

The Wrath of Kant

Edited by Kevin S. Decker and Jason T. Eberl

Popular Culture and Philosophy series

To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

These words describe the mission of the Starship Enterprise in Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking television series Star Trek. The spirit of exploration that characterizes Star Trek's various television and cinematic incarnations is also the driving force behind philosophical inquiry throughout human history. Star Trek and philosophy share the mission of testing ideas from our past and present that can progressively improve our future. This volume gathers together twenty-one professional philosophers who recognize, as most other Trekkers have over the past 40 years, that Star Trek isn't merely escapist entertainment. Rather, Star Trek calls viewers back again and again to consider questions not only about the scientific prospects of interstellar travel, but also the inward journey to examine the human condition. The essays in this volume follow Star Trek's inspiration to reach out to the farthest frontiers the mind may reach, while also delving deep into the human essence.

Among the questions dealt with in both the Star Trek mythos and our own human history, this volume discuss how it's possible for persons from different cultural backgrounds to communicate with each other; whether ther's value in the Stoic temperament of emotional detachment exhibited by Vulcans, and how difficult it may be to live such a logical life; what problems may be associated with pursuing a life of unlimited power and pleasure, or one that is consumed by anger and the drive for vengeance. In the realm of ethics, our authors discuss issues ranging from genetic engineering and cloning to the morality of the military mind-set, Ferengi business practices, and whether it's ever right to collaborate with unjust oppressors. Other essays investigate various societies found in the Alpha and Delta Quadrants, including the utopian values of the Federation, the collective nature of the Borg, and the conflict between Bajorans and Cardassians. At the level of individual life, there's the potential value of escaping from reality into a holodeck, or looking for answers in one's cultural and religious traditions, as we see Lieutenants Barclay and Worf do. Finally, some of Star Trek's most mind-bending puzzles are sorted out, such as the paradoxes and pitfalls of time travel, mind melding, transporter mishaps, and Captain Kirk's mastery of the destructive logical syllogism. These topics have been specifically chosen to break new ground in exploring the philosophical dimensions of Star Trek and boldly go where no philosopher has gone before.