OSU virtual Science Pub talk to focus on using ‘Star Trek’ to make the world a better place
CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon State University Science Pub on Monday, Oct. 11 will focus on how science fiction like Star Trek movies and television programs may strengthen hope for building a better future when the world seems overcome with crises.
The virtual event, a joint effort of Oregon State University in Corvallis and OSU-Cascades in Bend, will feature a talk by Jose-Antonio Orosco, a professor of philosophy at Oregon State. His presentation is titled: “To Boldy Go: Why Scientists and Social Justice Warriors Need Star Trek.”
For 55 years, the Star Trek science fiction series has influenced the creation of everyday technology from cell phones to computer tablets to video conferencing. It is also a series of stories through which people have explored social, political and ethical problems relevant to contemporary society.
At its heart, Star Trek is the story of humanity creating utopia out of dystopia, Orosco said. Part of that has to do with the development of technology and fantastic scientific discoveries, but Orosco believes Star Trek also helps shape the imagination so people can recognize their capacities to cooperate and better respect one another.
Sharing examples from the Civil Rights Movement to the work of Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling, Orosco will demonstrate how Star Trek, and science fiction in general, is an important tool for those interested in fighting to make the world a better place.
Orosco is the author of the forthcoming book “Star Trek’s Philosophy of Peace and Justice,” which will be published in February 2022.
The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at https://beav.es/Upe.
Sponsors of Science Pub include the OSU Office of Research, OSU-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Connect Central Oregon, a collaborative program with the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab, will produce the event with student interns.
