The Science/Religion Debate.

Star Trek is often interpreted to have a negative view of religion, in favor of a humanistic and atheistic vision of the future. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling challenge the typical interpretation of science and religion in Star Trek, considering both the rationality of religious belief and also potential issues with the rationality of scientific reasoning. Topics in this episode include traditional philosophical arguments attempting to prove God's existence, the correspondence theory of truth vs. the coherence theory of truth, logical positivism and the meaningfulness of religious language, the tentativeness of scientific conclusions, Thomas Kuhn on paradigm shifts in science, and the problem of divine action. Mike and Zachary conclude the discussion by asking what we can learn about divine action and top-down causation by the movement of matter and antimatter particles inside the warp core of a starship. This episode also introduces the Meta Treks review contest, running between December 15, 2015 and January 15, 2016. Chapters Welcome to Episode 8 (00:01:06) Overview of the Topic (00:01:25) Meta Treks Review Contest (00:11:54) Discussion Starts (00:14:50) The Rationality of Religious Belief (00:18:08) The Correspondence Theory of Truth (00:31:15) The Irrationality of Science (00:38:10) Final Thoughts (01:14:55)

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) 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

Klingon Virtue Ethics. For Klingons, the key ethical question is whether one's heart is truly Klingon. In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison examine "Klingon Virtue Ethics," with virtue ethics being a distinctive form of ethical theory emphasizing desirable character traits over individual actions. Zachary and Mike debate the nature of essential Klingon character traits such as loyalty, duty, and honor. But unlike humans, who tend to remain in the middle-ground on many aspects of human nature, Klingons take their essential virtues and character traits to extreme levels (not to mention those terrible Klingon table manners and an endless but life-affirming thirst for blood wine). In their discussion, Zachary and Mike cover the Aristotelian notion of eudaimonia ("happiness," or "living well") and consider what living well, or rather dying well, means for Klingons. In addition, Zachary and Mike apply the virtue-theory notion of an "ideal individual" to the Klingon messianic figure Kahless, the individual viewed by most Klingons as the ideal Klingon to be emulated and revered. Finally, Zachary and Mike contrast the highly idealized (and sometime naive) sense of Klingon virtues embraced by the character of Worf with the more realistic character traits of other less-honorable Klingons. Chapters Welcome To Episode 7 (00:01:25) Discussing SacTrek (00:02:48) Overview of Virtue Ethics (00:11:26) Traditional Virtue Ethics Theories (00:14:48) Virtue Ethics In Star Trek (00:16:52) Discussion of Eudaimonia (00:24:39) Final Thoughts (01:07:29) Zach's Recommended Klingon Episodes (01:10:53) Mike's Recommended Klingon Episodes (01:11:26)

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) 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

Consequentialism vs. Deontological Ethics.

In the Deep Space Nine episode "In the Pale Moonlight," was Captain Sisko justified in using less-then-honorable means to bring the Romulans into the war with the Dominion in order to end the war and save lives? Or were Sisko's actions unjustified because they violated universally valid moral rules and principles? In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike Morrison and Zachary Fruhling analyze "In the Pale Moonlight" from the contrasting ethical theories of consequentalist ethics (or utilitarianism) and deontological ethics (or rule-based ethics). Mike and Zachary consider the applicability of different forms of consequentialism, such as Jeremy Bentham's quantitative approach to utilitarianism, John Start Mill's more qualitative approach to utilitarianism, and rule utilitarianism as a middle-ground between ethics emphasizing consequences and ethics emphasizing rules. This episode of Meta Treks covers the crucial concepts of deontological/Kantian ethics, such as Kant's Categorical Imperative, the notion that some actions are intrinsically right or wrong regardless of consequences, and treating others as ends in themselves and not merely as means to your own ends. Mike and Zachary wrap up the conversation with a discussion of whether the justification for the Prime Directive is chiefly consequentialist or whether the Prime Directive, as the Federation's highest law or rule, is grounded in the intrinsic worth of the natural development of other worlds and cultures. Chapters Welcome to Episode 6 (00:01:06) Discussing the CBS Star Trek Announcement (00:02:22) Introducing the Topic (00:15:10) Consequentialism (00:16:40) Example - In The Pale Moonlight (00:19:31) Utilitarianism (00:32:09) Deontological Ethics (00:44:00) Kantian Ethics (00:44:40) The Categorical Imperative (00:49:00) The Prime Directive (01:05:38) Rule Utilitarianism (01:10:05) Virtue Based Ethics (01:17:46) Final Thoughts (01:20:06)

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) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

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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)

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) 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

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) Send us your feedback! Twitter: @trekfm Facebook: http://facebook.com/trekfm Voicemail: http://www.speakpipe.com/trekfm Contact Form: http://www.trek.fm/contact 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

Philosopher Starship Crews. Zachary and Mike compare notes on their ideal philosopher starship crews. Find out which philosophers from the history of philosophy that Zachary and Mike would choose to fill the various roles in a typical starship crew: conn officer, communications officer, operations officer, science officer, tactical officer, chief of security, chief engineer, first officer, and captain. Zachary and Mike also consider some honorable mentions for the roles of ship's counselor, transporter chief, bartender or chef, the ever-present admiral or "badmiral," diplomat or ambassador, and holodeck technician. Philosophers covered in this episode of Meta Treks include (in alphabetical order) Aristotle, George Berkeley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, David Brewster, Jacques Derrida, Albert Einstein, Epicurus, Michel Foucault, Gottlob Frege, Sigmund Freud, Galileo Galilei, Martin Heidegger, Hippocrates, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, William James, Immanuel Kant, C. S. Lewis, Karl Popper, John Rawls, Gene Roddenberry, Arthur Schopenhauer, Socrates, Sun Tzu, Dallas Willard, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Chapters Welcome (00:01:07) Introducing the Topic (00:03:09) Helm Officer (00:09:53) Communications Officer (00:13:18) Ops Officer (00:17:05) Science Officer (00:19:41) Tactical Officer (00:27:45) Chief of Security (00:32:32) Chief Engineer (00:38:36) Chief Medical Officer (00:44:52) First Officer (00:51:10) Captain (01:00:04) Honorable Mentions (01:06:33) Final Thoughts (01:18:04) 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) 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 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

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

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) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

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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Free Will vs. Determinism.

Welcome to the premier episode of Trek.fm's new show about Star Trek and philosophy, Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast. In this episode, part one of a two-part discussion, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison tackle the free will vs. determinism debate by examining different types of determinism within the Star Trek universe: biological determinism, physical determinism, social or cultural determinism, evolutionary determinism, historical determinism, psychological determinism, and theological determinism. After considering these different types of determinism and causal factors, what room is left for free will or personal agency in the Star Trek universe?

Chapters Introducing the Show (00:00:00) Definitions and Distinctions (00:09:43) Why Care About Free Will? (00:10:31) Hard Determinism (00:11:55) Biological Determinism (00:17:05) Physical Determinism (00:25:36) Cultural Determinism (00:39:37) Evolutionary Determinism (00:48:59) Historical Determinism (00:52:12) Psychological Determinism (00:01:01:31) Theological Determinism (00:01:06:40) Final Thoughts (00:01:12:44)

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) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)