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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Episodes

8: It's Turtles All The Way Down

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 att...

Dec 07, 2015•1 hr 41 min

7: Klingon Emily Post

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 ...

Nov 30, 2015•1 hr 27 min

6: Whacking Vreenak

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...

Nov 23, 2015•1 hr 36 min

5: Rocking the Goatee

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 o...

Nov 16, 2015•1 hr 24 min

4: Starship of Theseus

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 replace...

Nov 09, 2015•1 hr 15 min

3: I Don't Want a Thinker at the Helm

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, tran...

Nov 02, 2015•1 hr 30 min

2: Picard in Blue

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 thei...

Oct 26, 2015•1 hr 19 min

1: Where No Philosophers Have Gone Before

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, psyc...

Oct 18, 2015•1 hr 27 min

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