The Divine Comedy.
In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the classic work of literature The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri and its relevance to the Star Trek universe. Dante's semi-autobiographical, mythical tale of a redemptive and self-reflective journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, led by the poet Virgil (Dante's symbol of human reason) and the lady Beatrice (Dante's symbol of divine love), has become an archetypal metaphor for going astray and being led back to one's true path.
Many characters in the Star Trek universe have gone astray, whether literally as in the case of the Voyager crew lost in the Delta Quadrant, or metaphorically as in the case of characters with deep personal struggles, such as Wesley Crusher, Worf, and Benjamin Sisko. These and other Star Trek characters who have gone astray are frequently visited by quasi-mystical messengers, analogous to Virgil and Beatrice in The Divine Comedy, who lead them on a journey and back to their own true and unique paths.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 35 (00:01:06)
Initial Thoughts on The Divine Comedy and Star Trek (00:01:45)
The Doctor's Inferno (00:04:55)
"Shattered" and Other Dante References in Star Trek (00:09:31)
Virgil [Human Reason] and Beatrice [Divine Love] (00:17:16)
Wesley's Inferno (00:21:47)
Comparing Kirk/Spock/McCoy with Dante/Virgil/Beatrice (00:27:09)
Virgil and Beatrice [Picard and Troi] on the Enterprise-D (00:33:52)
"Midway Through Life's Journey" (00:50:31)
Voyager - Tom Paris, Captain Janeway, and Harry Kim (00:57:11)
Worf's Inferno (01:05:51)
Benjamin's Inferno (01:15:38)
Other Examples and Final Thoughts (01:26:43)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
Production
Mike Morrison (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) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
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Nationalism.
It is a commonly-held belief that humans in the 23rd and 24th century world of Star Trek have progressed beyond nationalism. The Federation, however, is only one of many intra-galactic nation states. The Federation, the Romulan Empire, the Klingon Empire, and the Cardassian Empire each has its own "national" symbols, colors, political structure, and cultural values. To what extent has the Federation helped humanity transcend the need for nationalism, and to what extent is it still bound by nationalism but on a larger, galactic scale? In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling debate the role of nationalism in the Star Trek universe, asking the fundamental question, "Is nationalism something to be transcended or to be embraced within the idealism of Star Trek's vision of the future?"
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 34 (00:02:02)
Brexit and Withdrawing from the Federation (00:03:11)
Bajoran Nationalism - To Join the Federation or not to Join (00:07:03)
The Pros and Cons of Nationalism (00:09:44)
Federation Nationalism or Trans-Nationalism? (00:12:05)
The Causes and Forms of Nationalism (00:22:08)
Tribalism and Origin Stories (00:25:46)
24th Century Swag - Trek.fm Nation! (00:42:18)
Federation National Symbols and Rituals (00:48:24)
Nationalism and Sports - Take Me Out to the Holosuite (00:51:53)
Tragedy and Colonialism as Causes of Nationalism (00:59:17)
Final Thoughts (01:10:14)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
Production
Mike Morrison (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) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
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"Cause and Effect" and the Metaphysics of Time.
In this 33rd episode of Meta Treks, "All Threes," hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison use the TNG episode "Cause and Effect" as the starting point for a discussion on the physics and the metaphysics of time. Zachary and Mike consider the core philosophical questions about the nature of time, such as ontology (whether the past and the future really exist), duration (why time moves at the rate it does), movement (whether there is a flow of time or whether events are fixed in time), linear time versus branching time, subjective time versus objective time, reconciling relativistic physics of time with quantum physics of time, and whether time is "out there" or imposed on reality by the mind.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 33 (00:01:20)
Initial Thoughts on "Cause and Effect" (00:04:39)
Spacetime - Time is Malleable (00:14:32)
The Physics of Time and the Metaphysics of Time (00:16:06)
Four Dimensionalism - Do the Present and Future Exist? (00:24:42)
Circumventing Einstein - Warp Drive and Relativity (00:26:22)
Time and Ontology - The Past, the Present, and the Future (00:36:24)
Movement through Time (00:38:54)
Duration - The Arbitrariness of the Rate of Time (00:44:13)
Quantum Entanglement and Simultaneity (00:49:03)
The Direction of Time - Why Does Time Flow Forward But Not Backward? (00:55:17)
The Branching Theory of Time (00:58:39)
Subjective Time vs. Objective Time (01:08:02)
Immanuel Kant - The Mind Structures Experience in Time and Space (01:11:17)
Final Thoughts (01:22:00)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison
Production
Mike Morrison (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) Kay Elizabeth Janeway (Associate Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
Send us your feedback!
Twitter: @trekfm
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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