Free Will and Compatibilism.
In this episode of Meta Treks, part two of a two-part
discussion about free will vs. determinism in Star Trek, hosts Mike
Morrison and Zachary Fruhling weigh different possible meanings of
free will as responses to the threat of causal determinism in Star
Trek.
Are Captain Kirk and Captain Archer radically free as
existentialism holds? Is free will an indispensable concept as
pragmatism holds? As Captain Kirk, Captain Sisko, and Captain
Janeway learn to embrace their own unique destinies, do they become
genuine examples of the compatibility of free will and determinism
in Star Trek? And what exactly would Picard do with his
free will if he were stuck in a blue shirt? Hosts Mike Morrison and
Zachary Fruhling wrestle with these philosophical questions and
more, through the lens of Star Trek.
Hosts
Chapters
Welcome (00:01:07)
Discussion Begins (00:04:39)
Brief Recap of Part 1, Determinism (00:04:51)
Principle of Alternate Possibilities (00:08:04)
Existentialist View of Freewill (00:16:51)
Pragmatism (00:32:28)
Compatibilism (00:44:53)
Final Thoughts (01:04:06)
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