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Is Data Human?: The Metaphysics Of Star Trek
Professor Richard Hanley faced the dilemma plaguing so many philosophy professors today—how to entice students into the classroom. Based upon his own successful course, Is Data Human presents a thoroughly unique and enjoyable way of introducing students to the basic concepts of philosophy as seen through the lens of Star Trek. From the nature of a person, of minds, and of consciousness, to ethics and morality, to the nature and extent of knowledge and free will, Hanley brings a fresh perspective to the contemporary debates concerning humankind's place in the world.Dare to boldly go where no philosophy professor has gone before—a classroom packed with eager and enthusiastic students.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
14 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hanley
28 books2 followersAssistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Delaware
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 10, 2018
Metaphysics... the Final Frontier!
BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO METAPHYSIC...
While Star Trek is usually related to the technology aspects of life and what we'd able to achieve in the future. It's a franchise so diverse and with scripts for episodes so vast that they also approach the metaphysics aspects of life.
Data, he is android, so is he alive or not?
Is the Moriarty hologram, indeed a form of life?
Picard when Q presented him what his life could become taking other decisions, was he dead or not?
And about that, is Q just an advanced species or the closest thing to what we understand as a god?
The Prophets in the Bajor's Wormhole, what truly are they? Are they really gods?
How the Guardian of Forever can work and how is possible to change the past?
This is a book that engages us to think beyond of the sciences and get deeper into the metaphysic possibilities in the universe.
BOLDLY GOING WHERE NO METAPHYSIC...
While Star Trek is usually related to the technology aspects of life and what we'd able to achieve in the future. It's a franchise so diverse and with scripts for episodes so vast that they also approach the metaphysics aspects of life.
Data, he is android, so is he alive or not?
Is the Moriarty hologram, indeed a form of life?
Picard when Q presented him what his life could become taking other decisions, was he dead or not?
And about that, is Q just an advanced species or the closest thing to what we understand as a god?
The Prophets in the Bajor's Wormhole, what truly are they? Are they really gods?
How the Guardian of Forever can work and how is possible to change the past?
This is a book that engages us to think beyond of the sciences and get deeper into the metaphysic possibilities in the universe.
February 18, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! My only complaint is that there wasn't more of it. I would love to read a revised edition. Or anything else he might want to write, really.
I thought the different topics he chose to dissect were probably the most interesting and relevant he could have chosen. Certainly they were topics that I, myself, as a lifelong Trek fan, have spent a lot of time thinking about over the years. His approach was appealing to me for that reason.
His intent seemed to be to explore the show armed with well researched facts and try to show which parts made logical (if, at this point in time and space, theoretical) sense and which did not. With a rather generous benefit of the doubt given to things like time travel and personality fusion.
He treated it as what I believe it was intended to be from the beginning - speculative fiction. Rather than the improbable science fantasy that I think it is sometimes assumed to be.
Anyway it spoke to me. The last paragraph of the epilogue, in particular, pretty much sums up both my world view and what has always appealed to me about Star Trek.
It was just a fun book to read.
I thought the different topics he chose to dissect were probably the most interesting and relevant he could have chosen. Certainly they were topics that I, myself, as a lifelong Trek fan, have spent a lot of time thinking about over the years. His approach was appealing to me for that reason.
His intent seemed to be to explore the show armed with well researched facts and try to show which parts made logical (if, at this point in time and space, theoretical) sense and which did not. With a rather generous benefit of the doubt given to things like time travel and personality fusion.
He treated it as what I believe it was intended to be from the beginning - speculative fiction. Rather than the improbable science fantasy that I think it is sometimes assumed to be.
Anyway it spoke to me. The last paragraph of the epilogue, in particular, pretty much sums up both my world view and what has always appealed to me about Star Trek.
It was just a fun book to read.
August 24, 2012
Although I do not consider myself a Trekkie, I thought the arguments, in particular the one on artificial intelligence, and form and matter (when the characters are beamed up and down, is that really them?) makes for good philosophical discussion. When philosophy is used in popular culture, I always have much praise, as it can create an interest for those who may not read philosophy, or has an interest, but would not know where to begin.
January 23, 2016
This kind of book makes me glad I majored in Philosophy -- ideas are selected from the series and movies and in-depth philosophical analysis is made of how these are executed. My brain feels very satisfied!
January 1, 2017
I would have thought two of my favorite subjects combined, philosophy and star trek, would be interesting. I was wrong. Reading this reminded me why getting out of the philosophy Ph.D program I was in was the best decision of my life.
August 29, 2014
This is pretty neat, I especially enjoyed the last chapters, on temporal distortions. The personhood discussion is interesting too.
October 27, 2020
Gene Roddenberry made sure that at least some, if not most, of the episodes of the original Star Trek seres taught moral lessons. Perhaps the most famous of them was “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” in which Frank Gorshin and Lou Antonio play two men of different races from an alien planet. Each was half white and half black, but one was black on the left side and the other was black on the right side. In the late 1960s, this episode was obviously a commentary on racial conflict in America. Richard Hanley has expanded the lessons from Star Trek to the philosophy of Star Trek, more specifically, the metaphysics of Star Trek. And, in addition to the original series, he includes the subsequent series and the movies.
This book was written after The Physics of Star Trek was written. In fact, Richard Hanley refers to the work of Lawrence Krauss in multiple places. In both books, Star Trek is used as a jumping off point for relevant discussions. In The Physics of Star Trek, the author is comparing Star Trek to actual science, noting when Star Trek is consistent with science and when it is not. In The Metaphysics of Star Trek, the author can discuss the metaphysics of holodecks, transporters, and time travel even if they are not scientifically possible. However, even without that limitation, he sometimes does note how the Star Trek writers deviate from the metaphysical concepts that he applies to Star Trek.
The first part of the book, “New Lives, New Civilizations,” seems to be closer to reality and more likely to become an issue for people living in the latter part of our century than the second part of the book, “Matters of Survival.” Given today’s advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, some form of android seems eventually possible. That may be why I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. Also, I found it slightly more difficult to fully appreciate the metaphysics of the second half.
While reading this book which infers metaphysics from Star Trek, I kept thinking about two books by Robert L. Short — The Gospel According to Peanuts (1965) and The Parables of Peanuts (1968). A description of the first book says that it comments on “the theological implications in Charles M. Schulz’s highly popular comic strip Peanuts.” One review of the second book describes it as “the liveliest-reading and best illustrated theology being published.” It is interesting to find meaning, whether it be philosophy or theology, in popular fiction, whether it be SciFi TV/movies or one of the best comic strips of all time.
One final note:
Richard Hanley has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Maryland, a university with which I am familiar. He also seems to have an unofficial PhD in Star Trek. His knowledge of Star Trek is amazing — detailed knowledge of every Star Trek series and Star Trek movie. It is the foundation on which he has built this book of metaphysics.
This book was written after The Physics of Star Trek was written. In fact, Richard Hanley refers to the work of Lawrence Krauss in multiple places. In both books, Star Trek is used as a jumping off point for relevant discussions. In The Physics of Star Trek, the author is comparing Star Trek to actual science, noting when Star Trek is consistent with science and when it is not. In The Metaphysics of Star Trek, the author can discuss the metaphysics of holodecks, transporters, and time travel even if they are not scientifically possible. However, even without that limitation, he sometimes does note how the Star Trek writers deviate from the metaphysical concepts that he applies to Star Trek.
The first part of the book, “New Lives, New Civilizations,” seems to be closer to reality and more likely to become an issue for people living in the latter part of our century than the second part of the book, “Matters of Survival.” Given today’s advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, some form of android seems eventually possible. That may be why I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. Also, I found it slightly more difficult to fully appreciate the metaphysics of the second half.
While reading this book which infers metaphysics from Star Trek, I kept thinking about two books by Robert L. Short — The Gospel According to Peanuts (1965) and The Parables of Peanuts (1968). A description of the first book says that it comments on “the theological implications in Charles M. Schulz’s highly popular comic strip Peanuts.” One review of the second book describes it as “the liveliest-reading and best illustrated theology being published.” It is interesting to find meaning, whether it be philosophy or theology, in popular fiction, whether it be SciFi TV/movies or one of the best comic strips of all time.
One final note:
Richard Hanley has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Maryland, a university with which I am familiar. He also seems to have an unofficial PhD in Star Trek. His knowledge of Star Trek is amazing — detailed knowledge of every Star Trek series and Star Trek movie. It is the foundation on which he has built this book of metaphysics.
July 9, 2024
The issue with this book is that you can only enjoy it if you've never watched Star Trek a day in your life. Many of the questions have their base assumptions proven incorrect just by watching the show that there's little to no point in reading the chapter because they're building the foundations on loose sand.
It's like having someone tell you there are five lights when there are clearly only four.
It's like having someone tell you there are five lights when there are clearly only four.
February 16, 2018
Raises interesting questions and posits possible answers on a variety of philosophical topics. A bit dry for my taste. Somewhat chilling epilogue warning of a movement toward anti-intellectualism that has only grown stronger in the decades since the book was written.
January 10, 2021
It's so long since I finished this now, I'm trying to remember detail.
What I do remember is that I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made me want to binge-watch again with the book in mind!
A little heavy going at times, but that was maybe as a result of my urge to re-watch!
What I do remember is that I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made me want to binge-watch again with the book in mind!
A little heavy going at times, but that was maybe as a result of my urge to re-watch!
September 12, 2021
I liked some of the discussions in the book, especially discussion about personality of artificial intelligence.
however some chapters are now terribly outdated with progress of the neuroscience and string theory. After all book was written and published in the last century.
however some chapters are now terribly outdated with progress of the neuroscience and string theory. After all book was written and published in the last century.
August 29, 2019
I have to admit, the constant use of "it" when referring to Data really bothered me.
May 1, 2023
Somewhat undercut by the number of times the author is wrong about Star Trek, but if you’re not an autistic person with a frightening memory for lore, it doesn’t matter all that much. Really fascinating arguments, relevant both in-universe and to the real world. I’ll be quoting this at fellow fans for some time.
February 18, 2016
This book was a hoot and a half! I stopped to watch many of the episodes cited in the book as I was reading it, which made it even more interesting. It does lean pretty heavily on the Original Series and Next Generation episodes, with only a small handful of references to Deep Space 9 and Voyager, which was disappointing to me as a die-hard DS9 fan. Overall, I thought it was pretty cool to take a look at the Star Trek universe(s) from this philosophical perspective.
July 23, 2009
Good book to really make you think about life in a different perspective. It gets into the soul and where it comes from, how tangible it is and if it should be messed with.
January 14, 2010
Interesting read!
October 11, 2014
Beyond geeked out? Maybe, but it's an honest philosophical endeavor with an optimistic upshot.
April 9, 2016
Get your geek on and read philosophical questions using the TV character from Star trek TNG, Data an innocent Android.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews