Much has been made of the fact that Star Trek is, underneath the hull, a humanist manifesto.
This derives from creator Gene Roddenberry’s conviction that humanism is our ultimate destiny – that there will come a day when we have surrendered superstition, conflict, war, racism, misogyny, and our other destructive social ills in favor of a society based on respect, cooperation, and diversity.
“If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet,” he once said, “then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is most certainly out there.”
To that end, it’s an interesting exercise to take humanism’s cornerstone precepts – human autonomy, commitment to equality and diversity, the valuing of all life, fealty to the truth, the on-going exploration of meaning, and the embrace of morality and ethics – and map them to the Trek narrative.
I am about to write an entire book on this theme, but here’s a rough outline.
Gods and Humans
The crew of the Enterprise demonstrates religious tolerance wherever they go. In “Bread and Circuses”, for instance, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are speaking to Septimus, leader of an outcast group on the edge of a city on planet four of System 892:
“Are you Children of the Sun?” asks Septimus.
“Well, if you’re speaking of worship of sorts,” McCoy answers, “we represent many beliefs.”
But the Enterprise men are not themselves believers. When facing Apollo, an alien humanoid who played the role of Greek god on Earth thousands of years ago, Kirk confronts him, saying, “Mankind has no need for gods.”
A central theme of humanism is that when human being focus on deities – especially doing so in large groups – they cease to treat one another as human, lose sight of their self-reliance, and implement new inequalities and prejudices that are another layer removed from reality.
Humanism views gods and religions as manifestations of human fear, unleashed on nations throughout the past 10,000 years to subjugate and manipulate populations. A self-determining humanity, it argues, is far healthier, more equitable, honest, and moral.
Star Trek not only sets aside the need for gods; it abhors the subjugation and manipulation that accompany them, liberating populations from such control at every opportunity – Landru on Beta III, Vaal on Gamma Trianguli VI – and, of course, face-to-face, when Kirk confronts “God” directly beyond the Great Barrier in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
And, of course, Trek demonstrates that self-determination, a healthier and more equitable humanity, and a commitment to truth are indeed the result – as we’ll explore below.
Equality and Diversity
The equality and diversity have been evident on the face of Trek since the beginning – from its multi-national crew to the presence of women in command roles. It goes beyond the crew of the Enterprise, of course; the United Federation of Planets is a consortium of species, humanoid and non-, all equally valued.
And, of course, there’s the iconic Vulcan IDIC philosophy: “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”. Kirk alludes to it in a conversation with an alien who strongly resembles Abraham Lincoln:
“What a charming negress!” Lincoln says to Uhura. “Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know in my time some used that term as a description of property.”
“But why should I object to that term, sir?” Uhura replies. “You see, in our century we've learned not to fear words.”
“May I present our communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura,” Kirk says.
“The foolishness of my century had me apologizing where no offense was given,” Lincoln comments.
“We've each learned to be delighted with what we are,” Kirk replies. “The Vulcans learned that centuries before we did.”
These are more than words and hiring practices. We recall the Horta of Janus VI, a creature made not of carbon but of silicon, thought to be a monster for its killing of 50 Federation miners there. When it is learned that the creature is not only intelligent, but a mother protecting her children from the miners’ destructive operations, Kirk stands ready to shoot down any man who attacks it. That’s commitment to diversity.
Roddenberry, again:
“Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but to take a special delight in differences in ideas.”
This idea is encoded in most recent version of the Humanist Manifesto:
“Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature’s integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner.”
Others weigh in:
"I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance." ~Rigoberta Menchu
“Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.” ~John Hume
“Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival.” ~René Dubos
Respect for Life
Kirk makes noise about humanity’s respect for life other than itself early on, in “The Corbomite Maneuver”, while confronting an intimidating alien commander named Balok.
“Our respect for other life forms requires that we give you this warning,” he tells Balok. “One critical item of information that has never been incorporated into the memory banks of any Earth ship. Since the early years of space exploration, Earth vessels have had incorporated into them a substance known as... corbomite. It is a material and a device which prevents attack on us. If any destructive energy touches our vessel, a reverse reaction of equal strength is created, destroying-”
“You now have two minutes.”
“-destroying the attacker! It may interest you to know that since the initial use of corbomite more than two of our centuries ago, no attacking vessel has survived the attempt. Death has little meaning to us. If it has none to you then attack us now; we grow annoyed at your foolishness.”
It’s all bullshit, of course; Kirk is giving Balok a taste of his own medicine. But the sentiment itself is authentic, as we see not much later, when Kirk has defeated the Gorn in what was intended to be mortal combat – and refuses the Metron, who has arranged the duel, to his face:
“No, I won’t kill him! Do you hear? You’ll have to get your entertainment someplace else!”
And Kirk states it clearly to Anan 7 of Eminiar, as two worlds face mutual obliteration:
“All right. It's instinctive. But the instinct can be fought. We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it! We can admit that we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we won't kill – today!”
Respect for life is one of humanism’s central principles. UNESCO, in fact, lists it as one of the core universal ethical principles, placing it at the head of the list: “Respect for Life and Human Dignity; Equal Rights and Social Justice; Cultural and Social Diversity; Human Solidarity; and Shared Responsibility for Our Common Future.”
Commitment to the Truth
This example is Starfleet-specific, but we’ll go with it. Cadet Wesley Crusher, formerly Ensign Crusher of the crew of NCC-1701-D, has participated in a cover-up of an illegal flight maneuver at Starfleet Academy that resulted in the accidental death of another cadet.
Capt. Picard has figured it out, and insists that Crusher report the facts of the accident to the academy’s commandant:
“The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth,” Picard rails, “whether it's scientific truth or historical truth or personal truth! It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based. And if you can't find it within yourself to stand up and tell the truth about what happened, you don't deserve to wear that uniform!”
“We seek truth,” says the book The Magic of Humanism. “We desire to know what is true and discard what is false, to winnow the wheat from the chaff. Everyone desires this. Even those who lie are unwilling to admit it: few are those who proudly call themselves a liar. Human beings have an innate desire to know, to learn, to grow in understanding—the search for truth is part of who we are. Humanists follow the truth wherever it leads. We discard dogma and are skeptical of certainty, embracing the provisional nature of all that we now believe. We appreciate that, as our understanding grows, we will need to revise our beliefs, even to the point of abandoning cherished convictions.”
“We believe in truth,” the book continues. “It is precisely because Humanists believe in truth that we pursue it so voraciously. We understand that reality does not bend to our whim, and that to make our way through life we must first understand our predicament. Our commitment to truth is pragmatic, and we map the terrain to chart a path through. How do we map it? Rejecting revelation and received wisdom, we harness the power of the human intellect, individually and collectively. We seek out evidence, employ reason, discuss with others, and draw our own conclusions. Thus science—the distillation of humanity’s best truth-seeking practices—is of special importance to Humanists as we seek the truth, together.”
Values, and the Search for Meaning
The values exhibited by the Federation and Starfleet are myriad, but one centers on capitalism – the accumulation of things.
“The economics of the future is somewhat different,” he explains to Dr. Lily Sloane, a 21st century engineer. “You see, money doesn’t exist in the 24th century. The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force of our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity.”
And he has previously explained it to a 20th century businessman, who awakens in the 24th century to learn that all his wealth has long since vanished.
“There’s no trace of my money,” he laments. “My office is gone. What will I do? How will I live?”
“This is the 24th century,” Picard answers. “Material needs no longer exist.”
“Then what’s the challenge?”
“The challenge, Mister Offenhouse, is to improve yourself. To enrich yourself. Enjoy it!”
Free of material concerns, the humanist pursues meaning in domains beyond property and material possessions. This pursuit of meaning, per Professor Peter Derks, includes “having a purpose in life that is morally worthy, positively evaluating oneself, having an understanding of one's environment, being seen and understood by others, the ability to connect emotionally with others, and a desire to have a meaning in life.”
Anthony Pinn suggests that the simple pursuit of meaning contributes to human well-being; and that “well-being and the living of a good life have been at the center of humanist reflection.” And humanist A.C. Grayling asserted that a good life “is the life that feels meaningful and fulfilling to the one living it.”
Morality and Ethics
The ethics of Starfleet reflect those of the Federation: freedom and autonomy are defaults recognized on all worlds and among all peoples. This is reflected in Kirk’s deliberations with the Halkans, a simple people with little technology, and no military to speak of; but they do have an abundance of dilithium crystals, for which they have no use, and Kirk is there to persuade them to permit the Federation to trade for the crystals. The Halkans refuse.
“We believe what you say, Captain Kirk, but our position has not altered,” the Halkan leader Tharn tells him. “The Halkan Council cannot permit your Federation to mine dilithium crystals on our planet.”
“We have shown the council historical proof that our missions are peaceful.”
“We accept that your Federation is benevolent at present, but the future is always in question. Our dilithium crystals represent awesome power,” Tharn counters. “Wrongful use of that power, even to the extent of the taking of one life, would violate our history of total peace. To prevent that, we would die, Captain. As a race, if necessary.”
“I admire your ethics,” Kirk replies, “and hope to prove ours.”
“Captain, you do have the might to force the crystals from us, of course,” Tharn points out.
“But we won't,” Kirk assures him. “Consider that.”
This exchange is poignant in itself, but becomes all the more emphatic as the story progresses: Kirk and the others in the landing party, beaming up to the ship, find themselves in a mirror universe where the morality and ethics of the Federation are reversed, and the Enterprise has become a savage place. Kirk now must find a way to spare the Halkans, when Starfleet fully expects him to burn their cities to the ground so they might sweep in and scoop up all the dilithium they please.
The exploitation of the Halkans in the Mirror Universe is an all-too-uncomfortable metaphor for the Western exploitation of the African continent and the genocide of the Native Americans who happened to find themselves on mineral-laden lands. Humanism, of course, has answer for such monstrous behaviors.
Per The Basics of Philosophy:
“As an ethical doctrine, [humanism] affirms the dignity and worth of all people and their ability to determine right and wrong purely by appeal to universal human qualities, especially rationality. It searches for truth and morality through human means in support of human interests, and focuses on the human capacity for self-determination. It endorses universal morality based on the commonality of the human condition.”
Kirk, in his willingness to sacrifice the Federation’s mining interests in favor of the Halkans’ implicit right to self-determination, demonstrates this principle.
And there are currently humanist groups that based their humanism on ethics – Ethical Humanists. Here’s how they define themselves:
“Our core belief is that every person is worthy and should be treated with dignity. We fight against all forms of oppression which strip the dignity from people, seeking always to view people as beings worthy of respect.”
Trek realizes this in Picard’s reproach of Dr. Ira Graves, a scientist who wishes to commandeer the android Data’s body and deposit his own consciousness within it: “No being is so important that he can usurp the rights of another!”
This is just a sampling, of course. All of Trek canon, across (at present) nine television shows and 13 movies, surges with humanist themes, based on world-building that features what social scientists call “a culture of dignity”.
We can do quite a bit of exploration of these themes – and, in the near future, we will...
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