Joe, You're correct that part of the Star Trek plot involves contrasting logic and intuition.
Vulcans are pure logic, or if they have any intuition it is deeply repressed. Humans are a combination of logic and intuition, but where these's a conflict intuition usually prevails. Spock was half-Vulcan and half-human so his conflict between logic and intuition was especially problematic. He tried hard to make logic prevail and that sometimes put him into distress and this was necessary to make his character more interesting. On the show Spock represented logic. He was First Officer. Kirk represented intuition. He was the Captain. Their roles were assigned that way for a purpose. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "Joe" <desert_woodworker@...> wrote: > > Bill!, > > Oh, you're right about that. > > Spock certainly *does* represent pure Logic. > > He represents Logic more than any character we've ever encountered on TV or > in the movies, I think, and more than anyone we know in person, probably! ;-) > > What puts me in mind of "Zen" about him is the intuition he sometimes shows. > It's like the intuition that Humans have when there is no mind. > > For example, about Spock: in an episode in which 400 Vulcan crew die at once > in a Vulcan ship destroyed by a planet-killing device (I think), Spock reels > away from his work-station, holding his head. The Captain asks him how he > KNOWS about the Vulcans dying, since indication of their death did not come > via any instrumentation on the Enterprise. Spock answers, crediting an > endowment or development that all Vulcans seem to have: > > "Call it a deep understanding of the way things ARE." > > And he mentions that what the 400 Vulcans felt when they were being > exterminated was, "Astonishment" (he looks astonished, himself). > > The Episode may have been "Devil in the Dark", featuring that planet- killing > device shaped ironically like a Cornucopia, but whose "hull" was made of > "solid Neutronium". > > There were, besides, some indications throughout the TV series that Spock > would from time to time retire to his quarters to practice a form of > Vulcanian Zazen. ;-) > > Also, let's not forget his talent with the "Vulcan Mind-Meld". > Instant-Sesshin! Nah, not quite. But that "touching of the mind" of > reminiscent. > > --Joe > > > "Bill!" <BillSmart@> wrote: > > > > Joe, > > > > First officer Spock should NOT put you in mind of zen since he represents > > pure logic...Bill! > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
