Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (Popular Culture and Philosophy (35))

Philosophy and space travel are characterized by the same fundamental purpose: exploration. An essential guide for both philosophers and Trekkers, Star Trek and Philosophy combines a philosophical spirit of inquiry with the beloved television and film series to consider questions not only about the scientific prospects of interstellar travel but also the inward journey to examine the human condition. The expansive topics range from the possibilities for communication among different cultural backgrounds to questions about the stoic temperament exhibited by Vulcans to Ferengi business practices. Specifically chosen to break new ground in exploring the philosophical dimensions of Star Trek, these articles boldly go where no philosopher has gone before. From cult to mainstream, the Star Trek epic has gone where no work of dramatic art has gone before, to become the most popular imaginary world yet conceived.

The same restless and relentless spirit of exploration that propels the voyages of the starship Enterprise is also the driving force of philosophical wonder throughout human history. Star Trek and philosophy share the same prime directive: testing ideas from our past and present to progressively improve our future.

In Star Trek and Philosophy, twenty-one professional philosophers put their brains into warp drive to probe the limits of the limitless, expanding our knowledge of the furthest reaches of thought while also delving deep into the human essence.

“A philosophical feast for Trekkies and other sci-fi fans. One of the things that makes Star Trek so exciting is the philosophical angle it has often presented. Reading this terrific book will prolong and deepen that excitement.”

—Jorge J. E. Gracia, editor of Mel Gibson's Passion and Philosophy

“Playful, subtle, and rich with cultural referencesbut actively create it. As well as beaming up famous philosophers like Kant and Nietzsche, this wonderful book plunges us into recent philosophical discussions, some of which have arisen in the wake of the accelerated technological developments of the past fifty years.”

—Margret Grebowicz, editor of SciFi in the Mind's Eye

“Boldly going where so many have gone before, these twenty-one philosophers manage to do the impossible: they find new ways to talk about this most talked about of TV franchises.”

—James B. South, editor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy

“Star Trek in all its incarnations remains one of the most philosophically fascinating TV and movie epics. Star Trek and Philosophy appeals to both philosophers and fans.”

—Richard Hanley, author of Is Data Human? The Metaphysics of Star Trek

From Shakespeare to Wittgenstein : "Darmok" and cultural literacy / Paul A. Cantor -- Death and rebirth of a Vulcan mind / Ritoku, as transmitted to Walter Robinson -- "Humans smile with so little provocation" / Harald Thorsrud -- Wrath of Nietzsche / Shai Biderman and William J. Devlin -- Mind your Ps and Qs : power, pleasure, and the Q Continuum / Robert Arp -- "Killing your own clone is still murder" : genetics, ethics, and Khaaaaan! / Jason T. Eberl -- Enterprise of military ethics : Jean-Luc Picard as Starfleet's conscience / Tim Challans -- Is Odo a collaborator? / Sander Lee -- "The rules of acquisition can't help you now" : what can the Ferengi teach us about business ethics? / Jacob M. Held -- Inhuman nature, or what's it like to be a borg? / Kevin S. Decker -- Recognizing the big picture : why we want to live in the Federation / Jason Murphy and Todd Porter -- Why not live in the holodeck? / Philip Tallon and Jerry L. Walls -- Second-coming of Kahless : Worf's "will to believe" / Heather Keith -- Cardassian "monsters" and Bajoran "freedom fighters" / Marnie Nolton -- Time-- the final frontier / Amy Kind -- "Your big chance to get away from it all" : life, death, and immortality / Theodore Schick -- Spock's Vulcan mind meld : a primer for the philosophy of mind / Mahesh Ananth -- Harry Mudd always lies / Jerry Kapus. Contents 6 The Federation Council 10 Ex Astris, Scientia 12 Starfleet Directive One 20 1 22 2 38 3 52 4 66 5 78 Starfleet Directive Two 88 6 90 7 110 8 124 9 136 Starfleet Directive Three 148 10 150 11 166 12 180 13 192 14 204 Starfleet Directive Four 220 15 222 16 236 17 250 18 264 Crew of Starship Enterprise NCC-1701-? 280 Chronicles from the Final Frontier 286 Isolinear Data 298 "Essays address philosophical aspects of the five television series and ten feature films that make up the Star Trek fictional universe"--Provided by publisher.