Skip to main content

Does Star Trek solve the Mind-Body problem?


For those of you who are unaware of the mind-body problem, it is basically trying to determine how the mind connects with the body, and can lead on to 'what is the mind' and whether it is a physical object (note - this refers to the mind not the brain). As in Star Trek, one can use the transporters to transport a person from one position to another, and the person is perfectly intact, this implies that Star Trek solves the mind-body problem. Is this the case and, if so, what is the solution to it?



Answer




Star Trek embraces whatever philosophy is required to tell the current story.




  1. In the TOS episode "The Lights of Zetar" Enterprise encounters extant members of a dead civilization who existed for millennia as acorporeal minds searching for a suitable body in which to live out the remainder of their corporeal lives. This is an example of Cartesian or substance dualism.




  2. In the TNG episode "The Schizoid Man" cyberneticist Ira Graves flees his dying body and causes his mind to run on a new substrate, the positronic brain and body of Lt. Cmdr. Data. This is an example of monism, in particular, physicalism.




  3. On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, we learn on the existence of the Prophets, acorporeal entities that exist at least partly outside time itself, though they do inhibit material bodies from time to time. This is (probably) an example of idealistic monism.





  4. In the TOS episode "Turnabout Intruder", Janice Lester swaps ids with Captain Kirk, inhabiting his body while he inhabited hers. Substance dualism again.




  5. In the TOS episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" Roger Corby transfers his mind to run on a new substrate: an android body. Physicalism again.




  6. In the movie The Search for Spock we learn that Spock's katra, whatever that is, was deposited into Dr. McCoy to be later extracted by some mystical process. This is an example of property dualism.





If there's a mind-body philosophy that Star Trek has not yet embraced, give them time.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is there good canon evidence for the "Nightmare Matrix"?

On the Matrix wiki, there's an article about the Nightmare Matrix which says: The Nightmare Matrix was the second prototype Matrix, designed by The Architect after the massive failure of the Paradise Matrix in the hope that human minds would more readily accept an imperfect world with suffering. Unlike the first version, this Matrix instituted a basic cause-and-effect programming and forcibly made those connected to it accept the program. Vamp Prime, a possible remnant of the Nightmare Matrix. It also featured programs that resembled mythical evil creatures in various human mythologies such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, etc. It also failed, but many of the programs who were designed for it survived deletion in exile. The Merovingian and his wife, Persephone may have had their roots in this version of the Matrix. Upon its failure, the Merovingian started a smuggling ring of programs and information to provide a haven for exiles that would last for 6 cycles in the final ...
Post a Comment
Read more

story identification - Anime with a boy hiring a creature from a stone, meets a man named Dante and starts a journey to collect crystals

I am from India, this anime or animated series (I can't remember this was made by the Japan or other countries) was aired between 2009 and 2012 probably in Jetix/Disney XD (but I'm not sure). This anime starts with a boy (the main character, I forgot his name) who find a stone (or crystal like thing) in his dad's property, his dad was missing that time. Some day he accidentally hire a creature/monster from that stone. Other day some creature attack him and he was saved by his creature and the story begins. In his journey to solve the mystery he meets a middle aged man 'Dante' (probably that was the name; this is the only character name I can remember). He had also some stone. After that they meet with one girl and a women (one of the girls is same age with the main boy character and probably will become his partner as the story goes on). Another women probably Dante's partner. Four of them started their journey to collect all the stone/crystal. They are collecti...
Post a Comment
Read more