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The Metaphysics of Star Trek. Richard Hanley. New York: BasicBooks, 1997.
Richard Hanley's The Metaphysics of Star Trek is an engaging examination of certain philosophical issues raised within the Star Trek universe. Its title, however, is overly broad; it would be more correctly titled, The 20th-Century Applied Metaphysics of Star Trek. The earliest reference in the bibliography is an article written in 1950; the next earliest, 1960. The vast majority of sources are from the 1980s and 1990s. There is nothing wrong with this focus; it is simply a limitation that should be noted.
The book focuses on applied metaphysics rather than pure metaphysics, as the author notes in the introduction; thus, metaphysical topics are explored insofar as they touch upon people's everyday lives. The book is divided into two sections, each of which is again subdivided into three. The first section, "New Life, New Civilizations" concerns the "nature and proper treatment of life, wherever it may be found," and addresses issues involving alien life forms and artificial personhood. The second section, "Matters of Survival," deals with "unusual processes and transformations" undergone by people in...