Subject: Intro to Vulcan Philosophical Paper

...
.....
.......             Greetings.  This is Ambassador T'Sinde.  

             I will soon be posting a brief outline I've written called
     "In the Footsteps of Surak".  The paper is alternately named  "On
     The Extent of Misapplication of the Principals of Logic As Proposed
     by Surak in His  'Essays on Discipline'  and Other Works:  Are the
     Teachings Relevant for Modern Day Vulcans?"     

             I would like to take this opportunity to encourage feedback
     on this topic in anticipation of its being posted.  I am 
     interested in hearing from both Vulcans and non-Vulcans alike.  
     Through such feedback I hope to gain further insight which will
     aid me in my research.

             Also,   ...  Nadev tlhInganpu tu'lu'a?  Duj tlhIngan wo'
     Charghuta Duy'a' jIh.  
             In English,  Are there any Klingons here?  I am an 
     Ambassador to the Imperial Klingon Vessel Conquest.
             Besides being an armchair philosopher, I am a bit of a 
     linguist and would greatly appreciate the ability to exchange
     correspondence using the Klingon language.

                                 Live long and prosper,

                                          T'Sinde of Vulcan


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phoenix@toz.buffalo.ny.us (the phoenix)
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Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!rutgers!ub!toz!phoenix
From: phoenix@toz.buffalo.ny.us (the phoenix)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: In the Footsteps of Surak
Message-ID: <cg1PNB3w165w@toz.buffalo.ny.us>
Date: 10 Jul 92 23:58:35 GMT
Organization: The Tower of Zot - (716)691-3865
Lines: 96

...
.....
.......             one small note from the  "real world."  The
               quotes attributed to Surak have been taken from the
               book  "Spock's World".  My writing was inspired by the
               philosophy in that book, which went from about pages
               313-317.



          And now, back to the essay, which I must point out only skims
     the surface.        

          I have noticed several inconsistencies between the written 
philosophy of Surak, which codifies the logical way of life of a Vulcan, 
and the way in which many Vulcans actually live.  It seems that there are 
at times misapplications of his philosophy by his own people.  It also 
appears that people of other races often have a distorted view of the 
Vulcan lifestyle.  
          In writing this critique, I wish not to offend, but merely to 
search for truth by documenting my observations.  I hold the teachings of 
Surak in the highest esteem.  I merely wish to explore their limits to 
the fullest in order to test the application of Vulcan ideals to real 
world situations.  
          Perhaps through the clarification of Surak's intent, it will be 
made easier to understand and follow the Disciplines which he instituted. 
Or perhaps this writer will discover that the discrepancies between word 
and action of modern Vulcans constitute a legitimate need for 
reevaluation of logic as regards the growth of our culture and race.  
Therefore, I will quote various passages from these teachings and then 
proceed to examine their validity according to current Vulcan social and 
behavioral standards.

          Surak has written,  "Cast out fear.  Cast out hate and rage.  
Cast out greed and envy.  Cast out all emotion that speeds entropy, 
whether it be love or hate.  Cast out these emotions by using reason to 
accept them, and then move past them.  Use in moderation emotions that do 
not speed entropy, taking care that they do not cause others pain, for 
that speeds entropy as well.  Master your passions, so that they become a 
power for the slowing of the heat death."

         The controlling of emotions is an ideal.  However, it is the 
means to an end, rather than an end in itself.  To strive for  COMPLETE  
control, then, may be to miss the point.  Not all emotions need to be 
controlled.  And to pretend that perfect control has been achieved in 
cases where it has not, is to illogically ignore reality.  What is 
unclear in the above quote is this:  Exactly which emotions  "do not 
speed entropy"  and can therefore be allowed moderate expression?

        Surak has written,  "Pretending there is not a lematya in your 
house will not make it go away if there is one.  You must first admit to 
yourself the fact that there is a lematya -- you must first accept its 
presence.  Then you can call the animal control people and have them come 
and take it away.  But until you first admit that it is there, you are 
going to have a lematya in your bed every night.  It may save your pride 
not to admit it is there, but your bed will be increasingly crowded."

        Vulcans at times illogically refrain from stating the truth due 
to their wish to appear completely stoic.  For example, when a Vulcan 
notices that he is becoming ill/tired/hungry/cold, he will often act as 
though nothing is wrong.  When offered help, a typical Vulcan will 
stubbornly refuse, and may indicate that he does not need help, 
preferring not to draw attention to himself.  However, this stubborn 
refusal  IS ITSELF  enough to draw attention, and so, illogical.  It is 
further illogical because instead of taking action to sove the problem of 
sickness, fatigue, hunger, or cold -- the Vulcan only makes it worse by 
ignoring it.  In my opinion, a person who will not admit to needing help 
is not being particularly honest or objective when it comes to assessing 
the needs of his physical circumstances or environmental deficits.  Since 
all of us have basic needs which must be met in order for us to survive, 
it is illogical to be ashamed about expressing such needs in a rational 
manner.

        I have neither time nor space at present to delve further into 
this topic.  However, I will leave you with a few questions to think 
about.  They are questions which I intend to explore more fully in the 
near future.

        Does the controlling of emotions conflict with IDIC?  (Infinite 
Diversity in Infinite Combinations)  Does an individual who follows the 
principles of Surak sell his/her birthright to express emotions in a 
diverse manner and so make the Vulcan claim of respecting IDIC invalid?  
Or is it true that by controlling one's passions, one is thereby more  
"free"  to reach his or her peak of abilities via the discipline thereby 
achieved?  Can a person who conforms to the Vulcan lifestyle of logic be 
seen as a unique individual?


                           Feedback graciously accepted,

                                    Ambassador T'Sinde


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phoenix@toz.buffalo.ny.us (the phoenix)
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