Thinking about this more, I think The Enterprise has a realism advantage in that most of the crew has subject-area competence–that is they have to know engineering, or medicine, or navigation, or tacitcs, or whatever. These are things that can be taught and tested and developed.
I think where The Federation Office corps strays is in a few areas:
1a) multiple areas of competence–like everyone is always WORKING so hard to get BETTER at everything, like why do people need to also master classical instruments as well as advanced fluid dynamics? It reflects a striving typical among Ivy League merit-obsessed individuals, which is a real thing, but it also doesn’t ever criticize this mindset.
1b) the Science is Science trope, common SF trope --where a doctor might also know about quantum capacitors and an engineer might have enough basic biology to whipup a cure for a rapidly spreading degenerative illness. I still remember an episode with Kira and Odo getting stranded because neither of them knew shit about fixing engines and I’m still recovering from the shock.
Emotional intelligence – everyone seems to be on a pretty even keel, which is unusual for the driven types from 1a.
Command as meritocracy. Maybe someone in the military can speak to this, but in my view organizations have always been chock-a-block with ass-kissers and incompetent aristocrats. An actual command consistently competent is less believable than teleporters.
I think the Orville really shines at 1a–they have some seriously flawed characters.
1a) multiple areas of competence–like everyone is always WORKING so hard to get BETTER at everything, like why do people need to also master classical instruments as well as advanced fluid dynamics?
due to the post scarcity of it all, people are able to not only able to excel in their careers, but their pasttimes. Also, you should look into tech death metal and its creators. 90% of them work two jobs, and about 70% are doing well in some kind of engineering. One of the most important early composers, Muhammed Suiçmez of Necrophagist worked at BMW as an engineer.
So if we can achieve that level of greatness in our shitty world, imagine where free therapy and free life would lead people to achieve.
Sounds like a recipe for burnout for me personally; to me that is a hell society where people hide their dissapointment in me with their encouragement that I could do better. I’ve come a long way from perfectionism to satisficing on good enough.
I’m not sure if you’re referring to star trek or IRL.
It just means that people turn to hobbies that allow them to develop their skills and gain nuance instead of just simple pleasure, because they are mentally stable enough to achieve their best.
Some people strive for excellence, but it should be healthy personal quest, not an insecure thirst for validation. In my ideal post-scarcity society, self- and other-acceptance is as important as achievement.
You might get something out of the book about the achievement society–Burnout Society, by German-born Korean philosopher by Byung-Hul Chans–or a video on the same by your favorite philosophy youtuber.
Again, what I’m trying to imply is something that happens when people stay at their pasttime for extended periods of time and if the pasttimes have skills that you can get better at as you do it more. If Will likes Jazz as a hobby, but also wants to explore the galaxy, he chooses to enlist in starfleet instead of some jazz institution. He has his trombone and as he spends years playing it, he gets better and better at it, because he is able to do this instead of battling his depression in a holosuite somewhere.
Barclay is interesting; since he does have mental issues , but we see him being treated for them so that he can move away from his addiction and maladaptive behaviour. However, people still enjoy the holodeck reasonably.
Thinking about this more, I think The Enterprise has a realism advantage in that most of the crew has subject-area competence–that is they have to know engineering, or medicine, or navigation, or tacitcs, or whatever. These are things that can be taught and tested and developed.
I think where The Federation Office corps strays is in a few areas:
1a) multiple areas of competence–like everyone is always WORKING so hard to get BETTER at everything, like why do people need to also master classical instruments as well as advanced fluid dynamics? It reflects a striving typical among Ivy League merit-obsessed individuals, which is a real thing, but it also doesn’t ever criticize this mindset.
1b) the Science is Science trope, common SF trope --where a doctor might also know about quantum capacitors and an engineer might have enough basic biology to whipup a cure for a rapidly spreading degenerative illness. I still remember an episode with Kira and Odo getting stranded because neither of them knew shit about fixing engines and I’m still recovering from the shock.
Emotional intelligence – everyone seems to be on a pretty even keel, which is unusual for the driven types from 1a.
Command as meritocracy. Maybe someone in the military can speak to this, but in my view organizations have always been chock-a-block with ass-kissers and incompetent aristocrats. An actual command consistently competent is less believable than teleporters.
I think the Orville really shines at 1a–they have some seriously flawed characters.
due to the post scarcity of it all, people are able to not only able to excel in their careers, but their pasttimes. Also, you should look into tech death metal and its creators. 90% of them work two jobs, and about 70% are doing well in some kind of engineering. One of the most important early composers, Muhammed Suiçmez of Necrophagist worked at BMW as an engineer.
So if we can achieve that level of greatness in our shitty world, imagine where free therapy and free life would lead people to achieve.
Sounds like a recipe for burnout for me personally; to me that is a hell society where people hide their dissapointment in me with their encouragement that I could do better. I’ve come a long way from perfectionism to satisficing on good enough.
I’m not sure if you’re referring to star trek or IRL.
It just means that people turn to hobbies that allow them to develop their skills and gain nuance instead of just simple pleasure, because they are mentally stable enough to achieve their best.
Both, I think.
Some people strive for excellence, but it should be healthy personal quest, not an insecure thirst for validation. In my ideal post-scarcity society, self- and other-acceptance is as important as achievement.
You might get something out of the book about the achievement society–Burnout Society, by German-born Korean philosopher by Byung-Hul Chans–or a video on the same by your favorite philosophy youtuber.
I’ll throw this into the pile of intellectual bookmarks I would love to check out if I had more time and attention.
I did skim this link to get a general idea : https://philosophybreak.com/articles/byung-chul-han-burnout-society-our-only-imperative-is-to-achieve/
Again, what I’m trying to imply is something that happens when people stay at their pasttime for extended periods of time and if the pasttimes have skills that you can get better at as you do it more. If Will likes Jazz as a hobby, but also wants to explore the galaxy, he chooses to enlist in starfleet instead of some jazz institution. He has his trombone and as he spends years playing it, he gets better and better at it, because he is able to do this instead of battling his depression in a holosuite somewhere.
Barclay is interesting; since he does have mental issues , but we see him being treated for them so that he can move away from his addiction and maladaptive behaviour. However, people still enjoy the holodeck reasonably.