Risa and Hedonism.
What role does the pleasure planet of Risa play in the ethics of
Star Trek? Is Risa the ultimate hedonistic escape from the
moralistic constraints of life in the Federation? Or is Risa the
ultimate embodiment of the Federation's ideals of tolerance and
acceptance? In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary
Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss Risa, hedonism, and the clash of
Federation values seen in the Deep Space Nine episode "Let
He Who Is Without Sin." Zachary and Mike cover the different
traditions of hedonism as expressed by the ancient Greek
philosophers Aristippus and Epicurus, the value of different kinds
of pleasures as expressed by the utilitarian philosopher John
Stuart Mill, and the critique of morality based on fear and
pleasure as expressed by the German philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche. Finally, Zachary and Mike explore the most fundamental
Risean question of all, "Is it the quantity of the
horga'hns or the quality of the jamaharon?"
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 25 (00:01:07)
Initial Thoughts - Where Does Risa Fit into Federation Morality?
(00:03:32)
Hedonism and DS9 "Let He Who is Without Sin" (00:4:20)
Risa Episodes in Star Trek (00:05:52)
Is Risa an Escape from Federation Values, or their Ultimate
Embodiment? (00:11:23)
Hedonism - Aristippus vs. Epicurus (00:16:09)
The Outskirts of Risa (00:19:37)
The Subjectivity of Pleasure - Fair Haven as Paradise?
(00:24:47)
John Stuart Mill - The Quantity of Horga'hns vs. the Quality of the
Jamaharon (00:27:06)
Fullerton and Nietzsche - A Clash of Federation Moralities
(00:31:12)
Nietzsche, Morality, and the Will to Power (00:37:23)
Falling Short - Hypocrisy and the Ad Hominem Fallacy
(00:42:46)
Clever Beasts - Nietzsche on Deconstructing Morality
(00:47:47)
Nietzsche on Pleasure - The Apollonian (Federation) Standpoint vs.
The Dionysian (Risean) Standpoint (00:53:47)
Being Constrained by Fear (01:10:33)
Final Thoughts (01:14:55)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike
Morrison
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and
Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones
(Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn
Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer)
Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production
Manager)
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The Bonding.
When Lieutenant Marla Aster is killed unexpectedly during an away
mission under Lieutenant Worf's command, Worf takes young Jeremy
Aster under his wing by participating in the Klingon ritual known
as "R'uustai" ("The Bonding"). In this episode of Meta
Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and
Zachary Fruhling explore the philosophical themes of death and
loss. Mike and Zachary discuss meaning and the existential
absurdity of life and death, the sociological and cultural role of
rituals, Jeremy Aster's escapism and the illusion of happiness, the
finality of death, and the sense of powerlessness in the face of
death. Finally, Mike and Zachary continue the turbolift debate
between Captain Picard and Counselor Troi about the wisdom of
allowing children to live aboard a starship.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 24
(00:01:07)
Synopsis of TNG "The Bonding" (00:06:00)
Initial Thoughts (00:06:46)
Death, Meaning, and the Absurd (00:12:20)
Emotions and Death (00:16:47)
Worf and Jeremy Aster (00:21:55)
The Role of Ritual (00:25:43)
Death, Pluralism, and Cultural Relativism (00:30:31)
Exploration and Meaning -
The Challenger Explosion (00:41:21)
The Finality of Death (00:43:11)
The Role of Death in Life (00:45:25)
Escapism and the Illusion of Happiness (00:48:22)
Subjective Meaning vs. Objective Meaning (00:52:18)
Deep Space Nine - "It's Only a Paper Moon"
(00:57:20)
Cross-Cultural Connections (01:03:45)
Children on the Enterprise - A City in Space (01:09:53)
Final Thoughts (01:18:41)
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive
Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing
(Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick
Devlin (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard
Marquez (Production Manager)
Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
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Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact
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Vulcan Philosophy and Spinoza.
Meta Treks hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
discuss aspects of Vulcan philosophy, such as logic and IDIC
(Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations). Zachary and Mike
examine the philosophical roots of Vulcan philosophy in the work of
the Western rationalist philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Spinoza's
greatest work, Ethics, contains many aspects of
Vulcan philosophy, such as logical deduction from first principles
and axioms, determinism (or faith that the universe will unfold as
it should), infinity and diversity within one infinite and unbound
substance, and the suppression of harmful emotions. Given the many
connections between Vulcan philosophy and Spinoza, Zachary and Mike
are left wondering, "How exactly did those first Vulcan visitors to
Earth manage to snag a copy of
Spinoza's Ethics to take with them back home to
Vulcan?"
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 23 (00:1:07)
IDIC in The Animated Series (00:02:07)
Vulcan Stoicism (00:03:18)
Star Trek VI - "Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not its
end." (00:06:01)
Spinoza and Vulcan Philosophy - Vulcan Rationalism
(00:08:11)
Faith that the Universe Will Unfold as it Should
(00:15:55)
Spinoza and Vulcan Philosophy - One Unbound and Infinite Substance
(00:18:53)
Pantheism and Environmentalism (00:22:09)
Vulcan Diversity (00:24:43)
IDIC and Deep Interconnectedness (00:27:05)
Spinoza and Vulcan Philosophy - Suppression of Harmful Emotions
(00:29:55)
Determinism + Logic + IDIC + Suppression of Emotions = Spinoza
(00:33:11)
Leonard Nimoy Narrates the Spinoza's Ethics Audiobook
(00:35:37)
Mind/Body Dual Aspect Theory and Vulcan Touch Telepathy
(00:39:10)
Vulcan Cultural Enlightenment - Taking Spinoza and IDIC Seriously
(00:46:33)
Final Thoughts (01:08:00)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive
Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing
(Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick
Devlin (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard
Marquez (Production Manager)
Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm
Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm
Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact
Visit the Trek.fm website at http://www.trek.fm/
Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.com/trekfm
Support the Network!
Become a Trek.fm Patron on Patreon and help us keep Star
Trek talk coming every week. We have great perks for you at
http://patreon.com/trekfm