Philosophy Forums
Forums Links Articles Gallery Chat
Style:



Register | Forgot Password

Star Trek

printPrint


Page: 1 2

Star Trek
onenat
banned

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Mar 28, 2003
Total Topics: 41
Total Posts: 350
Posted 03/24/04 - 04:23 PM:
quote post
#1
Can Trek be considered philosophical??

In all five series to date, there have been numerous episodes that attempt to 'explore' the human condition.

There are even characters like Data and 7 of 9 who were intrigued to learn about what it meant to be human.

So was/is Trek successful in attempting this 'exploration'??
Paul
Tenured Poster
Avatar

Usergroup: Administrators
Joined: Mar 10, 2002
Location: Sacramentoish
Total Topics: 451
Total Posts: 11794

Last Blog: Blog welcomes giant check in Happy Dry Spot

Posted 03/24/04 - 04:54 PM:
quote post
#2
Depends on the episode. Some certainly have philosophical points. Mostly ethical or religious (particularly DS9) or political (particularly TOS) points, but sometimes metaphysical or epistemological. Take TNG's "Frame of Mind" (in which Riker is told that he's in an insane asylum and the Enterprise is a delusion) as one example among several in the series of the classic skeptical hypothesis which is so often used in entertainment. Many other episodes, though, are purely for entertainment value with no hint of philosophy.

So was/is Trek successful in attempting this 'exploration'??

Of what it means to be human? Frankly, I think that issue was never done very well. So I'd declare it utter failure, it seems only to tell the audience what they expect to hear -- namely that human emotions and faults are good things, and the like -- without the exploration really having been for much purpose.
leucrotta
Assistant Professor
Avatar

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Mar 20, 2003
Location: Indiana
Total Topics: 49
Total Posts: 498
Posted 03/24/04 - 05:27 PM:
quote post
#3
it's a cute, sort of guilty-pleasure show (for me, anyway) but i wouldn't call it philisophical. you gotta love those tribbles, though. rolling eyes

if no body speaks of remarkable things...
pfred
Assistant Professor
Avatar

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Feb 18, 2004
Location: Rhode Island, USA
Total Topics: 23
Total Posts: 448
Posted 03/24/04 - 05:30 PM:
quote post
#4
Paul
I am not so sure that Trek showed that emotions were good.
I think they often portrayed Spock's ability to think without emotion as a good thing.
Paul
Tenured Poster
Avatar

Usergroup: Administrators
Joined: Mar 10, 2002
Location: Sacramentoish
Total Topics: 451
Total Posts: 11794

Last Blog: Blog welcomes giant check in Happy Dry Spot

Posted 03/24/04 - 06:17 PM:
quote post
#5
Although considered good, Spock was still just an aspect of humanity rather than the complete thing. He needed Kirk to complete him, Kirk had to be the implusive emotional side which gets things done. Certainly Kirk needed Spock as well, but Spock alone could not command a ship (except as a teacher on a training mission, as per his own statement). Besides which, Spock was canceled out by McCoy.

A related thread I started a while back: Philososphy of Star Trek II
Klaatu
Aspirant
Avatar

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Dec 11, 2003
Location: In between
Total Topics: 24
Total Posts: 20
Posted 03/24/04 - 06:41 PM:
quote post
#6
Star Trek uses philosophical issues in a cosmetic way. I'd say the series is really more of a soap opera... or "space opera" I think is the term.
GreenFleshyFlower
Assistant Professor
Avatar

Usergroup: Sponsors
Joined: Dec 05, 2003
Total Topics: 32
Total Posts: 330
Posted 03/24/04 - 07:02 PM:
quote post
#7
It's a f*ck of a lot more philosophical than 99% of other shows that have been on the air (Twilight Zone definitely excluded). And hey, it's entertaining, and sometimes one just isn't in the mood to read.
wuliheron
Tenured Poster
Avatar

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Location: Newport News, Va
Total Topics: 10
Total Posts: 3157
Posted 03/24/04 - 07:12 PM:
quote post
#8
Star Trek follows a pantheistic formate, right down to it's ethics and all the various demi-gods, nomes, monsters, etc. If you read a fair amount of the literature on the subject this becomes obvious, note that theism does not play a large role in the series yet it does possess a comprehensive ethics.

The author of the series, Gene Rodenbury, did not seem to understand much about Asian philosophy, but he did have a decent grasp of pantheism. It makes for an elaborate, yet predictable series which neither espouses nor condemns religion and incorporates a great deal of very realistic science based on a single premise. The dilitheium crystals in the series are essentially quartz crystals, but ones with a fourth dimensional aspect only discovered in the 21 century.
sciunifi
Student

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Feb 26, 2004
Total Topics: 2
Total Posts: 53
Posted 03/25/04 - 01:54 AM:
quote post
#9
Star Trek DEFINENTLY should be considered philosophical, that is the main reason I am a fan. I started watching of course because it was cool and the phasers mesmerized me. But the more I watched, the more I realized, wow this is some deep sh*t! This mix of Philosophy and coolness is what makes Star Trek so popular, and you could basically say that the numerous followers, known as "Trekies" could be considered members of a cult. Cults are viewed as extreme religions, and religions are based on some sort of a Philosophy. This alone should make a person think that Star Trek is more than just a cool show, and that there must be some sort of searching for truth and enlightenment presented in these shows to deserve such a following.
dead-quasar
banned

Usergroup: Members
Joined: Feb 24, 2004
Location: Kanchenjunga
Total Topics: 9
Total Posts: 353
Posted 03/25/04 - 05:53 AM:
quote post
#10
Too bad I haven't seen a single episode of star trek till today, am I lucky, or is it unfortunate?
Download thread as

Page: 1 2



You don't have permission to post.

Please login or register.

26 total queries
This page was created in 0.93 seconds
Memory used: 7045404 bytes
Server Status: time since last reboot is 246 days, 19:28, load average: 1.17, 1.95, 2.05