The Absolute and Star Trek

This volume explains how Star Trek allows viewers to comprehend significant aspects of Georg Hegel's concept the absolute, the driving force behind history.
Gonzalez, with wit and wisdom, explains how Star Trek exhibits central elements of the absolute. He describes how themes and ethos central to the show display the concept beautifully. For instance, the show posits that people must possess the correct attitudes in order to bring about an ideal society: a commitment to social justice; an unyielding commitment to the truth; and a similar commitment to scientific, intellectual discovery. These characteristics serve as perfect embodiments of Hegel's conceptualization, and Gonzalez's analysis is sharp and exacting.

List of contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Analytic Philosophy and Star Trek.- 3. Speculation in Star Trek.- 4. The Progressive Dialectic of Star Trek.- 5. Star Trek and False Infinities.- 6. Star Trek and Language: Dasein or Speculation?.- 7. Star Trek: Prejudice versus Universal Rationality.- 8. Star Trek: Voyager: Pragmatism and Neo-Pragmatism as False Infinities.- 9. Zombies, Star Trek, and International Relations.- 10. Conclusion: The Inviability of Analytic Philosophy, as well as Bad and False Infinities.

About the author

George A. Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami, USA. He specializes in the fields of political theory, popular culture, and environmental politics and policy. In the areas of popular culture and political theory he has published two articles in the journal Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, as well as the book The Politics of Star Trek: Justice, War, and the Future.

Product details

• Authors: George A Gonzalez, George A. Gonzalez
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2018
• EAN: 9783319838267
• ISBN: 978-3-31-983826-7
• No. of pages: 116
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 7 mm x 210 mm
• Weight: 182 g
• Illustrations: XIII, 116 p. 5 illus. in color.
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > German idealism, 19th century; C, Philosophy of History, Performing Arts, Philosophy, Historiography, Religion and Philosophy, American Cinema and TV, Motion pictures—United States, American Film and TV, German Idealism, Idealism, German, History—Philosophy, analytic;dialectic;Dasein;Klingon;Heidegger