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.
http://trek.fm/meta-treks
12: Just a Simple Question
The Meaning of Life.
Perhaps the most fundamental philosophical question, the most
important question of the human condition, is the question, "What
is the meaning of life?" In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Mike
Morrison and Zachary Fruhling explore competing philosophical
theories about the meaning of life within the Star Trek universe.
Topics covered include the distinction between universal meaning
and subjective meaning, meaning as progress and the Federation's
progress narrative, colonialism and criticism of the progress
narrative, nihilism and the lack of meaning, existentialism and
self-chosen individual or cultural meaning, theism and religious
meaning, finding meaning in a galactic cultural melting pot, and
new questions of meaning in the 21st century that the upcoming Star
Trek 2017 series might consider.
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 12 (00:01:15)
Introducing the Topic (00:03:18)
Two Approaches: Capital-M "Meaning" vs. lowercase-m "meaning"
(00:05:53)
Metanarratives and Peace (00:09:09)
A Crisis of Meaning in Star Trek? (00:13:58)
The Star Trek Answer: Meaning as Progress (00:17:32)
Star Trek Beyond: Colonialism and Criticism of the Progress
Narrative (00:23:21)
Nihilism, Meaninglessness, and Suicide (00:34:06)
Existentialism and Self-Chosen Meaning (00:42:34)
Theism and Religious Meaning (00:47:40)
Meaning in a Cultural Melting Pot (00:53:27)
Meaning in the 21st Century and Star Trek 2017 (00:57:02)
Final Thoughts (01:00:32)
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