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This, and your previous comment were really unnecessary.
researching star trek, what does Star Trek mean to you?
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This, and your previous comment were really unnecessary.
In my opinion Star Trek presents the most potentially viable and sublime future for humanity - the most logical progression, if you will. I'm not referring to the minutia of each and every episode but the overall philosophy presented throughout the (prime) Trek series' (naturalistic Humanism being one of the most noticeably prominent, for example Gene Roddenberry was a staunch Humanist).
Just like Roddenberry said (I think in Sept 1986 at the unveiling of his Star on Hollywood Boulevard), the power of Star Trek isn't within the shows, it's within its audiences. Power perhaps to create for ourselves a future where careful adherence to a more (than present-day) evolved set of sensibilities and philosophy is a product of humanity's experience with its past over-indulgences and carelessness.
We can have a future that represents the same or similar values to that portrayed in Star Trek - if we want it, and are willing to work hard and become disciplined enough to see it.
There is also ample evidence that many of the concepts presented in Star Trek have had influence in real-life scientific advances. The equation for faster-than-light warp drive was drawn up by confessed Trekkie, Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994 (inspired by Trek), and now 20 years later a team at NASA are actually working and building upon his ideas ... Tech giant Qualcomm are currently working on medical tricorders (actual name, directly inspired by Trek), the first space shuttle was named Enterprise due to overwhelming letters sent by Trekkies requesting the name, and the eventual intervention by Gerald Ford himself... and it goes on and on!!!!
It is an absolute guarantee than when we venture out to the stars, Star Trek will be a huge influencing factor on all levels.
This, along with the notion (discussed by Roddenberry) of the necessity of not only tolerating or embracing diversity - but celebrating the diversity (in both life forms and ideas) we see on Earth in order to be ready for the obvious diversity which will be encountered in outer space, is what Star Trek means to me.
Trek on!
Just like Roddenberry said (I think in Sept 1986 at the unveiling of his Star on Hollywood Boulevard), the power of Star Trek isn't within the shows, it's within its audiences. Power perhaps to create for ourselves a future where careful adherence to a more (than present-day) evolved set of sensibilities and philosophy is a product of humanity's experience with its past over-indulgences and carelessness.
We can have a future that represents the same or similar values to that portrayed in Star Trek - if we want it, and are willing to work hard and become disciplined enough to see it.
There is also ample evidence that many of the concepts presented in Star Trek have had influence in real-life scientific advances. The equation for faster-than-light warp drive was drawn up by confessed Trekkie, Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994 (inspired by Trek), and now 20 years later a team at NASA are actually working and building upon his ideas ... Tech giant Qualcomm are currently working on medical tricorders (actual name, directly inspired by Trek), the first space shuttle was named Enterprise due to overwhelming letters sent by Trekkies requesting the name, and the eventual intervention by Gerald Ford himself... and it goes on and on!!!!
It is an absolute guarantee than when we venture out to the stars, Star Trek will be a huge influencing factor on all levels.
This, along with the notion (discussed by Roddenberry) of the necessity of not only tolerating or embracing diversity - but celebrating the diversity (in both life forms and ideas) we see on Earth in order to be ready for the obvious diversity which will be encountered in outer space, is what Star Trek means to me.
Trek on!
I am unsure exactly what it is you're asking, as I don't have a personal idea of what a branch of philosophy entails which would deviate from how it exists within known academic literature/discourse.
this is a good concise definition of naturalistic humanism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_naturalism
If you want to know how humanism resonates with me personally, then yes I have always been a firm believer in the futility of religious belief and institutions or that we are at the mercy of some supernatural force; the value of scientific inquiry, method and rigor; the immense power and potential of human beings, along with the adventure of discovering the natural world with its laws and properties. There are many great thinkers that deal specifically with this branch of philosophy. Lamont's book The Philosophy of Humanism is always one I like to point people to as a good overall look at humanism that's easy to read.
It has guided me both on my personal and academic paths.
Trek on!!
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There are a few different facets of Trek which appeal to me.
Trek is a wealth of insight and advice:
When I was struggling with deciding which direction I wanted to take in my life, Trek helped me. Each episode of Star Trek has some sort of moral or lesson that can be taken away from it. I could easily draw parallels between situations in Star Trek episodes and problems I was facing in daily life.
Trek also helped me decide which career path I wanted to take. I had been a bit indecisive about what I wanted to do. When I began watching Star Trek, Scotty quickly became one of my favorite characters. Scotty exemplified what it meant to be an engineer in the sense of finding and solving problems. This led me to pick engineering as my area of study.
If it weren't for the influence of Trek, I wouldn't have had the benefit of all of those little lessons it teaches, and I probably wouldn't have gone into engineering.
Trek represents the childish sense of wonder you get when you look up at the night sky:
I've always been interested in space. It's a huge expanse that's mostly empty but for the strange, alien worlds which are too far away to see. I've spent much of my time watching documentaries about space and reading books about it, but all of these relied on what we currently knew about space, with no regard to the future.
Star Trek is a depiction of what our space-faring future could look like. Amazing technologies like warp drives could bring us to distant planets that are completely foreign to us. On these planets could live alien life which could be so different from us as to be unrecognizable. For instance, the Enterprise crew once discovered a silicone-based life form, and they knew little about it before Spock melded with its mind to read its thoughts.
It appeals to my sense of exploration as much as my sense of discovery. I imagine what it would be like to visit these places, as well as what can be learned from other worlds and cultures. Although this is something which probably won't happen during my lifetime, I like to think that such exploration and discovery will eventually be commonplace.
Trek represents people:
There are a lot of Star Trek characters. Possibly more than any other franchise. There are 6 series with a total of 44 main characters, and I can't even begin to guess how many supporting characters. With a show that has 716 episodes and 12 movies, it's hard not to get attached to them.
The friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is probably the most iconic relationship. Captain Kirk seeks advice from his two friends who nearly always find themselves on two sides of an issue. McCoy represents the emotional component and Spock represents the logical one. Kirk usually finds his balance in between their two extremes.
Second comes Geordi and Data. Data is an android who wants to be human, but often finds himself at confused by human customs. Geordi is data's best friend, and helps data better fit in during his seven years on the Enterprise. This shows that sometimes we need others to help us bring out our best self.
Third is Odo and Quark. Odo is the constable aboard Deep Space 9 and Quark is a criminal and bartender. Although the two are often at odds with one another, they actually grow rather fond of each other eventually. This shows how people who don't seem to share any common ground can actually count one another as allies.
Trek represents a bright future:
As far as the in-universe history is concerned, the timeline closely mirrors our own. Humanity had all of the same wars and historic events. The same failures and successes. The same evils and altruism.
People like Hitler and Genghis Khan, for example, are common to both our past and the past of Trek, but that's not the end of the story. Trek shows us villains like Khan Noonien Singh and Colonel Green to demonstrate that we still have yet more evils in our future which we must overcome. It also depicts wars ranging from World War II to the Eugenics Wars and World War III to show that there will be yet more conflict in the future.
But, much like the phoenix rising from the ashes, humanity is able to unite itself after World War III when the prospect of joining the galactic community presents itself. Despite all of the dictators and conflicts that have come and went, and will continue to show themselves from time to time, humanity manages to evolve into a united community, despite all opposition.
Once in space, humanity became a force for good in the quadrant. Captain Jonathan archer, a captain who more than any other represented the common man, was able to unite the Andorians, Tellarites and Vulcans (of which the Andorians and Vulcans had been at war), in order to form the United Federation of Planets.
At this point, we're reached what can be considered a utopian society. Nearly all hunger and poverty have been eradicated on Earth, and humanity has reached out the metaphorical olive branch to other species in order to form a group dedicated to preserving peace.
Trek also represents fun:
Because sometimes I need jokes and pew pew pew lasers to cheer myself up. The constant banter between Spock and McCoy, Data's confusion regarding humanity, basically every episode with Harry Mudd... all of these things represent the lighter, fun side of Trek. Yes, Trek is a drama, but we still need a bit of comedic relief from time to time.
I hope this is what you were looking for. Feel free to quote me directly on anything in this post.
Trek is a wealth of insight and advice:
When I was struggling with deciding which direction I wanted to take in my life, Trek helped me. Each episode of Star Trek has some sort of moral or lesson that can be taken away from it. I could easily draw parallels between situations in Star Trek episodes and problems I was facing in daily life.
Trek also helped me decide which career path I wanted to take. I had been a bit indecisive about what I wanted to do. When I began watching Star Trek, Scotty quickly became one of my favorite characters. Scotty exemplified what it meant to be an engineer in the sense of finding and solving problems. This led me to pick engineering as my area of study.
If it weren't for the influence of Trek, I wouldn't have had the benefit of all of those little lessons it teaches, and I probably wouldn't have gone into engineering.
Trek represents the childish sense of wonder you get when you look up at the night sky:
I've always been interested in space. It's a huge expanse that's mostly empty but for the strange, alien worlds which are too far away to see. I've spent much of my time watching documentaries about space and reading books about it, but all of these relied on what we currently knew about space, with no regard to the future.
Star Trek is a depiction of what our space-faring future could look like. Amazing technologies like warp drives could bring us to distant planets that are completely foreign to us. On these planets could live alien life which could be so different from us as to be unrecognizable. For instance, the Enterprise crew once discovered a silicone-based life form, and they knew little about it before Spock melded with its mind to read its thoughts.
It appeals to my sense of exploration as much as my sense of discovery. I imagine what it would be like to visit these places, as well as what can be learned from other worlds and cultures. Although this is something which probably won't happen during my lifetime, I like to think that such exploration and discovery will eventually be commonplace.
Trek represents people:
There are a lot of Star Trek characters. Possibly more than any other franchise. There are 6 series with a total of 44 main characters, and I can't even begin to guess how many supporting characters. With a show that has 716 episodes and 12 movies, it's hard not to get attached to them.
The friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is probably the most iconic relationship. Captain Kirk seeks advice from his two friends who nearly always find themselves on two sides of an issue. McCoy represents the emotional component and Spock represents the logical one. Kirk usually finds his balance in between their two extremes.
Second comes Geordi and Data. Data is an android who wants to be human, but often finds himself at confused by human customs. Geordi is data's best friend, and helps data better fit in during his seven years on the Enterprise. This shows that sometimes we need others to help us bring out our best self.
Third is Odo and Quark. Odo is the constable aboard Deep Space 9 and Quark is a criminal and bartender. Although the two are often at odds with one another, they actually grow rather fond of each other eventually. This shows how people who don't seem to share any common ground can actually count one another as allies.
Trek represents a bright future:
As far as the in-universe history is concerned, the timeline closely mirrors our own. Humanity had all of the same wars and historic events. The same failures and successes. The same evils and altruism.
People like Hitler and Genghis Khan, for example, are common to both our past and the past of Trek, but that's not the end of the story. Trek shows us villains like Khan Noonien Singh and Colonel Green to demonstrate that we still have yet more evils in our future which we must overcome. It also depicts wars ranging from World War II to the Eugenics Wars and World War III to show that there will be yet more conflict in the future.
But, much like the phoenix rising from the ashes, humanity is able to unite itself after World War III when the prospect of joining the galactic community presents itself. Despite all of the dictators and conflicts that have come and went, and will continue to show themselves from time to time, humanity manages to evolve into a united community, despite all opposition.
Once in space, humanity became a force for good in the quadrant. Captain Jonathan archer, a captain who more than any other represented the common man, was able to unite the Andorians, Tellarites and Vulcans (of which the Andorians and Vulcans had been at war), in order to form the United Federation of Planets.
At this point, we're reached what can be considered a utopian society. Nearly all hunger and poverty have been eradicated on Earth, and humanity has reached out the metaphorical olive branch to other species in order to form a group dedicated to preserving peace.
Trek also represents fun:
Because sometimes I need jokes and pew pew pew lasers to cheer myself up. The constant banter between Spock and McCoy, Data's confusion regarding humanity, basically every episode with Harry Mudd... all of these things represent the lighter, fun side of Trek. Yes, Trek is a drama, but we still need a bit of comedic relief from time to time.
I hope this is what you were looking for. Feel free to quote me directly on anything in this post.
@ Chronos - well said.
Reading about your chosen direction due to trek is inspiring!
Reading about your chosen direction due to trek is inspiring!
I am unsure exactly what it is you're asking, as I don't have a personal idea of what a branch of philosophy entails which would deviate from how it exists within known academic literature/discourse.
this is a good concise definition of naturalistic humanism:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_naturalism
If you want to know how humanism resonates with me personally, then yes I have always been a firm believer in the futility of religious belief and institutions or that we are at the mercy of some supernatural force; the value of scientific inquiry, method and rigor; the immense power and potential of human beings, along with the adventure of discovering the natural world with its laws and properties. There are many great thinkers that deal specifically with this branch of philosophy. Lamont's book The Philosophy of Humanism is always one I like to point people to as a good overall look at humanism that's easy to read.
It has guided me both on my personal and academic paths.
I was asking this for several reasons. Like T'Girl pointed out there are many branches of humanism and I think many of these have traces of them in Star Trek.
I was also wondering what you meant by the term beceausce the wikipedia section includes a part that revers to 'concepts of spirituality'. I know the early shows were hostile to religion. This menatality seems to change with more recent shows. With the changing of times they seem to have incorporated new notions of spirituality, life, and life after death.
Are these "religious/spiritual" models also an important part of the Trek philosophy for you (and perhaps other fans)?
From the wiki page you subsequently provided a link to, I would say that neither the show, nor Roddenberry, were examples of "humanistic naturalism." From my research of Roddenberry it is true that he was a humanist at the time Star Trek was first produced in the 1960's, later in the late 1970's he seemed to redefine his general humanism to a form of secular humanism.
The biggest philosophical problem I personally have with the "values" in Star Trek would have to be the Prime Directive, especially as depicted in the later series. It's later incarnation borders on institutionalized indifference, in Homeward the bridge crew stood "respectfully" as the majority of a planet's population suffocated in front of them.
Yes, wonderful values.
I would not advocate a paternalistic society, and there'll be times when you can't help others, but to have a law/rule stipulating that you're restricted from helping others indicates a deep flaw in the society you've constructed.
The TOS show was very supportive to religion, Balance of Terror showed a wedding with religious themes, Breads positively refers to Christianity, Who Mourns does too, or at least monotheism.
The show did come down on cults, technology worship and the occasional god pretender.
Even Picard, who some fans see as being agnostic, stated in a early TNG episode that he embraces a form of life after death.
T'Girl said:
Sorry, I should of said 'and', instead of 'for example.'
Star Trek's depiction of mankind's approach in the future is classic naturalism. I don't know many (or any) examples where an event in Trek has been attributed to a non-natural, forever scienfically unexplainable (supernatural) cause. Even elements such as the Q continuum and the prophets are depicted as aspects of the natural world (albeit complex, extremely different and alien realities to our own)
T'Girl said:
I understand where you're coming from. The virtue (or not) of the prime directive is an easy debate to get into. I was more referring to the broader working philosophies of humanity, such as the drive to discover the unknown and to self and societal betterment.
Regarding religion, Star Trek does a great job of representing (for humans at least) a secular future free of superstition and belief in that which is not empirically provable. It would seem humanity discovers that truth is stranger than fiction as far as reality is concerned, that the natural, quantifiable universe contains mysteries even the most imaginitive of antiquated religous zealots couldn't have visualized.
If you're referring to Picard's embracing of a form of afterlife from the episode 'Where Silence Has Lease':
I personally interpret that as a nod to the as yet unknown aspects of the natural world.
Same here...
I'm afraid I've never seen that Star Trek. Religion, spirituality, faith, various character's belief in what can not be scientifically proven are all on display in Star Trek.
Humans, Vulcans, Bajorians, Klingons have religion.
Deanna Troi believes in fate (Pen Pals).
Many people's (modern day) spirituality is a result of their life experiences, and therefor would be arrived at empirically. Characters on the show regularly employ non-scientific means to obtain correct solutions to problems, hunches, gut feeling, guessing, and once going directly to the Bajorian gods to eliminate a JemHadar fleet.
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