Personal Identity.
As characters in Star Trek change over time (think TV Picard versus
Movie Picard), what accounts for the persistence of those
characters' personal identity?
In this episode of Meta Treks, the continuation of a
two-part discussion on the problem of identity in Star Trek, hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison consider various responses to
the problem of personal identity, including John Locke's views on
memory and the continuity of consciousness, David Hume's bundle
theory of the self, and Rene Descartes's views on mind-body dualism
and personal identity.
Zachary and Mike close out their discussion of personal identity by
considering identity issues in alternate timelines, counterfactual
scenarios, and the Mirror Universe. Can David Lewis's possible
worlds interpretation of counterfactuals, along with Saul Kripke's
account of personal names as rigid designators, explain the
identity of Star Trek characters across alternate timelines? Is it
possible to give any account of why Star Trek characters are
somehow connected to their Mirror Universe counterparts? Join
Zachary and Mike as they wrestle with these issues in personal
identity and more, all told through examples taken directly from
the Star Trek universe.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 5 (00:01:06)
Introducing the Topic (00:02:23)
Examples of Personal Identity in Star Trek (00:10:40)
Numerical Identity (00:12:56)
Continuity of Consciousness (00:17:57)
The Bundle Theory (00:26:50)
Dualism (00:34:09)
Alternate Universes (00:52:56)
Names as Rigid Designators (01:00:46)
Final Thoughts (01:11:21)
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)
The Problem of Identity.
In this episode of Meta Treks, part one of a two-part
discussion on the problem of identity in Star Trek, hosts Mike
Morrison and Zachary Fruhling consider the metaphysical problem of
identity over time as it applies to inanimate objects. As objects
undergo changes over time, do they remain the same objects or do
they become different objects? Mike and Zachary reinterpret the
classic philosophical example of the Ship of Theseus, in which
components of a ship are replaced one at a time, in Star Trek terms
as the "Starship of Theseus," asking whether the Enterprise remains
the same ship following repairs or a refit.
Mike and Zachary introduce the problem of identity with an overview
of Leibniz's Law and the numerical identity of indiscernible
objects, followed by a discussion of different possible responses
to the problem of identity over time: the continuity-of-change
response, four-dimensionalism and time slices, and Aristotle's four
types of causes (material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, and
final cause).
Chapters
Welcome to Meta Treks 4 (00:01:07)
Introduction to the Topic (00:02:10)
The Ship of Theseus (00:10:18)
The Starship of Theseus (00:13:35)
Resolving the Identity Problem (00:29:17)
Continuity of Changes (00:29:51)
Four Dimensionalism (00:37:18)
Aristotle's Answers (00:46:37)
Final Thoughts (01:00:43)
Hosts
Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling