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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast

Meta Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated to a deep examination of the philosophical ideas found in Star Trek. In each episode, Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison take you on a fascinating journey into the inner workings of Star Trek storytelling, deeper into subspace than you've ever traveled before.
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Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast
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Now displaying: Category: Philosophy of Law
Sep 12, 2016

Justice.  

In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the Next Generation episode "Justice." This first-season TNG episode deals with a range of issues in philosophy of law and punishment, such as the concept of strict liability, intrinsically wrong crimes versus statutory crimes, ignorance of the law as a defense, the death penalty as a deterrent, and the role of intentionality in determining culpability.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 41 (00:01:07) 
Initial Thoughts on "Justice" (00:01:48) 
Strict Liability (00:05:35) 
Proportional Punishment (00:10:17) 
Intrinsic Wrongs [malum in se] vs. Statutory Crimes [malum prohibitum] (00:13:18) 
Eden and Original Sin - Balancing Tranquility and Justice (00:17:36) 
Ignorance of the Law as a Defense (00:25:33) 
Punishment Zones and Speeding Tickets (00:28:31) 
The Death Penalty as a Deterrent (00:33:18) 
Intentionality and Culpability (00:43:27) 
Consequentialism - One Life versus a Thousand Lives (00:50:52) 
The Prime Directive and Laws on an Alien World (01:00:48) 
Final Thoughts (01:06:48)  

Hosts 
Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison  

Production 
Mike Morrison (Editor and Producer) Ken Tripp (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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May 30, 2016

Crime and Punishment.  

Many different forms of punishment are depicted in Star Trek. From the Risa-like Federation penal colony in New Zealand to engramatic purges and twenty-year virtual prison sentences, Meta Treks hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss the ethics of the various forms of punishment seen in the Star Trek universe. Zachary and Mike debate the different possible justifications of punishment in general, such as punishment as a deterrent, punishment as getting what you deserve, punishment as maximizing social utility, punishment as repaying a debt to society, punishment as redemption, and punishment as education. Given the real-world issues of increasing prison populations and the culture of criminalization, Star Trek provides a model of the best (and sometimes the worst) of human nature and of our ideals about how to handle the ever-present problems of crime and punishment in society.  

Chapters 
Welcome to Episode 29 (00:01:06)
New iTunes Review (00:02:45)
The Ready Room - 200th Episode (00:06:35)
Initial Thoughts on Punishment in Star Trek (00:10:15)
Luxurious Federation Penal Colonies (00:12:19)
Federation vs. Non-Federation Punishment (00:13:30)
Possible Justifications for Punishment (00:15:21)
Intentionality and Gradations of Punishment (00:19:06)
The Death Penalty in TOS "The Menagerie" (00:21:02)
The Variety of Punishments in Star Trek (00:26:49)
Virtual Punishment - Chief O'Brien in DS9 "Hard Time" (00:29:49)
Engramatic Purge - B'Elanna Torres in VOY "Random Thoughts" (00:35:59)
Paying Debt to Society (00:41:00)
The Evolution and Future of the Prison - Michael Foucault (00:44:09)
The Bell Riots and the Culture of Criminalization (00:48:14)
The Punishment Box in DS9 "Paradise" (00:55:23)
Klingons - The Presumption of Guilt and Hereditary Punishment (00:58:12)
Compassion and Punishment - Cue the Picard Speech (01:06:05)
The Role of Anger and Disgust - Vulcan Logic or Human Emotion? (01:11:46)
Zachary's Final Thoughts (01:20:41)
Mike's Final Thoughts (01:27:23)

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

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