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.

Chapter One: Introduction                                                                                                           

Chapter Two: Analytic Philosophy and Star Trek                                                                                 

Chapter Four: The Progressive Dialectic of Star Trek                                                                         

Chapter Six: Star Trek and Language: Dasein or Speculation?                                                       

Chapter Eight: Star Trek: Voyager: Pragmatism and Neo-Pragmatism as False Infinities  

Chapter Nine: Zombies, Star Trek, and International Relations                                                    

Chapter Ten: Conclusion: The Inviability of Analytic Philosophy, as well as Bad and False Infinities              

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.