George A. Gonzalez

George A. Gonzalez is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami. His new book is The Politics of Star Trek: Justice, War, and the Future.

A few days ago I asked the author about what he was reading. Gonzalez's reply:

James Kreines, Reason in the World: Hegel’s Metaphysics and its Philosophical Appeal (Oxford University Press, 2015) – The Star Trek franchise has taught me that justice exists as a metaphysical entity. As a result, I’ve taken to reading continental philosophy – especially that related to Georg Hegel (1770 – 1831). Hegel argued that justice emanates from the Absolute. My view is that Star Trek reflects, conveys the justice of the Absolute – a classless society, free of gender, ethnic biases.

David Welch, Propaganda and the German Cinema 1933-1945 (Oxford University Press, 2001) – Star Trek puts forward a universalist concept of justice – a classless society, free of gender, ethnic biases. As such, I’ve become interested in different notions of justice. The Nazis sought to formulate through their cinema a narrow conception of justice – one exclusively tied to German national identity. In The Politics of Star Trek I specifically argue that such narrow (indeed, myopic) conceptions of justice are very dangerous in the modern world system– where through such devices as nuclear weapons and global warming the planet can be destroyed (à la the Xindi).

Learn more about The Politics of Star Trek at the Palgrave Macmillan website.

--Marshal Zeringue