Meta Treks 19: Suffer Horribly or Eat Fruit / by Trek fm

Hermeneutics in Star Trek.

Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes 0 seconds
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Hermeneutics is the art and science of meaning and textual interpretation. In this episode of Meta Treks: A Star Trek Philosophy Podcast, hosts Zachary Fruhling and Mike Morrison discuss issues of meaning and interpretation in Star Trek. From how to interpret Bajoran sacred texts and prophecies, to the interpretation of Federation law and Starfleet regulations, to the meaning of the Star Trek franchise itself for us today, Zachary and Mike cover a range of philosophical issues related to meaning in Star Trek, such as: original meaning vs. new interpretations, literal meaning vs. metaphorical meaning, the relationship between interpretation and hierarchical power structures, changes in meaning due to evolving language, and various analytical techniques used in hermeneutics.

Chapters

Welcome to Episode 19 (00:01:07) Finding New Meaning in Classic Trek (00:04:37) Hermeneutics - Meaning and Textual Interpretation (00:09:39) Original Meaning vs. New Interpretations (00:12:44) Interpreting Religious Texts - Bajoran Prophecies (00:27:57) Competing Interpretations and Organizational Hierarchy (00:33:21) Literal Meaning vs Metaphorical Meaning (00:40:39) Examples of Bajoran Prophecies (00:44:47) Evolving Language and Changes in Meaning (00:46:37) Techniques of Hermeneutical Analysis (00:49:14) Interpreting Federation Law and Starfleet Regulations (00:59:15) Guiding Principles for Hermeneutical Analysis (01:07:44) Other Examples of Hermeneutics in Star Trek (01:12:03) Final Thoughts (01:21:29)

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) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) Richard Marquez (Production Manager)

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