25: Feed Me Gagh

04/18/16 • 89 min

Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast

Risa and Hedonism. What role does the pleasure planet of Risa play in the ethics of Star Trek? Is Risa the ultimate hedonistic escape from the moralistic constraints of life in the Federation? Or is Risa the ultimate embodiment of the Federation's ideals of tolerance and acceptance? In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss Risa, hedonism, and the clash of Federation values seen in the Deep Space Nine episode "Let He Who Is Without Sin." Zachary and Mike cover the different traditions of hedonism as expressed by the ancient Greek philosophers Aristippus and Epicurus, the value of different kinds of pleasures as expressed by the utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill, and the critique of morality based on fear and pleasure as expressed by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Finally, Zachary and Mike explore the most fundamental Risean question of all, "Is it the quantity of the horga'hns or the quality of the jamaharon?" Chapters Welcome to Episode 25 (00:01:07) Initial Thoughts - Where Does Risa Fit into Federation Morality? (00:03:32) Hedonism and DS9 "Let He Who is Without Sin" (00:4:20) Risa Episodes in Star Trek (00:05:52) Is Risa an Escape from Federation Values, or their Ultimate Embodiment? (00:11:23) Hedonism - Aristippus vs. Epicurus (00:16:09) The Outskirts of Risa (00:19:37) The Subjectivity of Pleasure - Fair Haven as Paradise? (00:24:47) John Stuart Mill - The Quantity of Horga'hns vs. the Quality of the Jamaharon (00:27:06) Fullerton and Nietzsche - A Clash of Federation Moralities (00:31:12) Nietzsche, Morality, and the Will to Power (00:37:23) Falling Short - Hypocrisy and the Ad Hominem Fallacy (00:42:46) Clever Beasts - Nietzsche on Deconstructing Morality (00:47:47) Nietzsche on Pleasure - The Apollonian (Federation) Standpoint vs. The Dionysian (Risean) Standpoint (00:53:47) Being Constrained by Fear (01:10:33) Final Thoughts (01:14:55) 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

Previous Episode

24: Making R'uustai

The Bonding. When Lieutenant Marla Aster is killed unexpectedly during an away mission under Lieutenant Worf's command, Worf takes young Jeremy Aster under his wing by participating in the Klingon ritual known as "R'uustai" ("The Bonding"). In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling explore the philosophical themes of death and loss. Mike and Zachary discuss meaning and the existential absurdity of life and death, the sociological and cultural role of rituals, Jeremy Aster's escapism and the illusion of happiness, the finality of death, and the sense of powerlessness in the face of death. Finally, Mike and Zachary continue the turbolift debate between Captain Picard and Counselor Troi about the wisdom of allowing children to live aboard a starship. Chapters Welcome to Episode 24 (00:01:07) Synopsis of TNG "The Bonding" (00:06:00) Initial Thoughts (00:06:46) Death, Meaning, and the Absurd (00:12:20) Emotions and Death (00:16:47) Worf and Jeremy Aster (00:21:55) The Role of Ritual (00:25:43) Death, Pluralism, and Cultural Relativism (00:30:31) Exploration and Meaning - The Challenger Explosion (00:41:21) The Finality of Death (00:43:11) The Role of Death in Life (00:45:25) Escapism and the Illusion of Happiness (00:48:22) Subjective Meaning vs. Objective Meaning (00:52:18) Deep Space Nine - "It's Only a Paper Moon" (00:57:20) Cross-Cultural Connections (01:03:45) Children on the Enterprise - A City in Space (01:09:53) Final Thoughts (01:18:41) Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling 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

Next Episode

26: A Good Day for Euthanasia

Euthanasia in Star Trek. In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, we debate the ethical issue of euthanasia in Star Trek. From the flashback scene of Dr. McCoy removing his father from life support in Star Trek V, to the ritual suicide practices of various alien races, we examine a variety of examples of euthanasia in Star Trek. We also cover several key philosophical distinctions related to euthanasia, such as the distinction between voluntary and involuntary euthanasia and the distinction between active and passive euthanasia, along with competing arguments for and against euthanasia from the different moral standpoints of consequentialism, rule-based ethics, and virtue ethics. Chapters Welcome to Episode 26 (00:02:02) Greek Etymology of "Euthanasia" - "Good Death" (00:04:45) Examples of Euthanasia in Star Trek (00:05:29) Euthanasia in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (00:07:51) Motivations for Euthanasia - Ending Suffering and Preserving Dignity (00:10:06) Klingon Euthanasia - A Glorious Death (00:13:50) Euthanasia and Cultural Relativism (00:18:29) The Value of Life - Intrinsic Value vs. Instrumental Value (00:19:55) Voyager "Death Wish" - Is an Immortal Life Worth Living? (00:26:13) Voyager "Emanations" - Moral Judgments About Other Cultures (00:33:45) Voyager "Coda" - Euthanizing Captain Janeway (00:40:00) Key Distinctions - Voluntary/Involuntary Euthanasia and Active/Passive Euthanasia (00:47:15) Distinguishing Euthanasia, Killing, Murder, and Suicide (00:58:04) Final Thoughts (01:09:55) Hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling 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