Real world article
(written from a production point of view)
Star Trek and Star Wars: The Enlightenment versus the Anti-Enlightenment
Summary[]
- Blurb
- In Star Trek and Star Wars: The Enlightenment versus the Anti-Enlightenment, George A. Gonzalez shows that these two behemoths of popular culture put the Enlightenment and anti-Enlightenment before the viewing public. Star Trek is arguably the popular culture vehicle most reflective of the Enlightenment: a belief in political and social progress, leading to a society that is modern, classless, and totally free of gender and ethnic biases. The Star Wars franchise, meanwhile, is seemingly the artistic embodiment of the anti-Enlightenment: societal progress (to the extent that it occurs) is solely a function of technology and not a perfecting of justice and fairness. Gonzalez shows that this reflects the pessimism and demoralization underlying the Trump phenomenon and the rise of anti-democratic, virulent nationalism.
- Excerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.
Contents[]
- Introduction
- 1. The Hegel/Marx Political Philosophy Paradigm
- 2. Praxis: Enlightenment versus the Anti-Enlightenment
- 3. Star Trek (Original Series) Against Patriarchy and Jim Crow
- 4. The Early Cold War and Star Trek (Original Series)
- 5. Star Trek and the Clash of Civilizations: Anti-Enlightenment versus Modernism (Universal Justice)
- 6. Nazi Takeover of America: The Man in the High Castle and Star Trek
- Conclusion – The Trump Phenomenon and the Anti-Enlightenment
- Bibliography
- Index