Risa and Hedonism.
What role does the pleasure planet of Risa play in the ethics of
Star Trek? Is Risa the ultimate hedonistic escape from the
moralistic constraints of life in the Federation? Or is Risa the
ultimate embodiment of the Federation's ideals of tolerance and
acceptance? In this episode of Meta Treks, hosts Zachary
Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss Risa, hedonism, and the clash of
Federation values seen in the Deep Space Nine episode "Let
He Who Is Without Sin." Zachary and Mike cover the different
traditions of hedonism as expressed by the ancient Greek
philosophers Aristippus and Epicurus, the value of different kinds
of pleasures as expressed by the utilitarian philosopher John
Stuart Mill, and the critique of morality based on fear and
pleasure as expressed by the German philosopher Friedrich
Nietzsche. Finally, Zachary and Mike explore the most fundamental
Risean question of all, "Is it the quantity of the
horga'hns or the quality of the jamaharon?"
Chapters
Welcome to Episode 25 (00:01:07)
Initial Thoughts - Where Does Risa Fit into Federation Morality?
(00:03:32)
Hedonism and DS9 "Let He Who is Without Sin" (00:4:20)
Risa Episodes in Star Trek (00:05:52)
Is Risa an Escape from Federation Values, or their Ultimate
Embodiment? (00:11:23)
Hedonism - Aristippus vs. Epicurus (00:16:09)
The Outskirts of Risa (00:19:37)
The Subjectivity of Pleasure - Fair Haven as Paradise?
(00:24:47)
John Stuart Mill - The Quantity of Horga'hns vs. the Quality of the
Jamaharon (00:27:06)
Fullerton and Nietzsche - A Clash of Federation Moralities
(00:31:12)
Nietzsche, Morality, and the Will to Power (00:37:23)
Falling Short - Hypocrisy and the Ad Hominem Fallacy
(00:42:46)
Clever Beasts - Nietzsche on Deconstructing Morality
(00:47:47)
Nietzsche on Pleasure - The Apollonian (Federation) Standpoint vs.
The Dionysian (Risean) Standpoint (00:53:47)
Being Constrained by Fear (01:10:33)
Final Thoughts (01:14:55)
Hosts
Zachary Fruhling and Mike
Morrison
Production
Dennis Castello (Editor and
Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) C Bryan Jones
(Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Charlynn
Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Patrick Devlin (Associate Producer)
Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production
Manager)
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