Why a Human Should Not Desire to Become Vulcan
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| Title: | Why a Human Should Not Desire to Become Vulcan |
| Creator: | Jacqueline Lichtenberg |
| Date(s): | dated February 20, 1974, printed April 28, 1975 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Topic: | |
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Why a Human Should Not Desire to Become Vulcan is a 1974 essay by Jacqueline Lichtenberg.
It was printed in Mind-Meld v.2 n.2.
Context: The Kraith Focus in Early Issues of "Mind-Meld"
The topic of Kraith was the focus during the first year's Mind-Meld issues, and that universe's creator, Jacqueline Lichtenberg, was a member and frequent contributor.
That is, until a flurry of fan responses likely deflated her enthusiasm, and Lichtenberg encouraged fans to move on from emulating Kraith, at least in this fan club and its publication. From her last contribution to "Mind-Meld": "SEV should adopt some NEW ideals, not Kraith Vulcan ideals," thus withdrawing her attention and support.
Some of Lichtenberg's contributions and fan comments in early issues of "Mind-Meld":
- Lichtenberg's comments in v.2 n.1, March 1975 which was a response to the editor's comments in v.1 n.2, October 1974
- Why a Human Should Not Desire to Become Vulcan by Lichtenberg (dated February 1974, printed April 1975)
- I have been unable to determine whether or not the Council wishes to adopt Lichtenberg's philosophy as pertains to Vulcans as it is. by Carmen Dexter (v.2 n.5, August 1975). Dexter's letter also addressed Lichtenberg's controversial author's preface to Kraith Collected #1
- I think that it is important for Jacqueline Lichtenberg, as the creator of the series, to hear from those who are KRAITH fans, who enjoy the works, but can still see their faults. by Amy Falkowitz (v.2 n.7, October 1975)
- Darkover and Kraith by Amy Falkowitz (v.2 n.7, October 1975)
- I WISH I could figure out some way to make people understand that I do not hold Kraith to be some sort of ultimate truth. by Licthenberg (her final comment) (v.2 n.8, December 1975)
Lichtenberg's last contribution to this newsletter was in December 1975. She, however, remained on the membership roster until at least March 1979.
Lichtenberg Mined Fan Comments for Use Elsewhere
Lichtenberg straight up told fans she might use their comments to this essay, and similar comments, in both her future fan publications and her for-profit publications.
Fans likely had mixed reactions. Some were eager for validation and visibility and were happy to provide permission for Lichtenberg, and some were likely turned off at being utilized.
Lichtenberg's comments in Mind-Meld v.2 n.2 to fans regarding "Why a Human Should Not Desire to Become Vulcan":
Let me add that I am very eager to hear from each and every one of you regarding your thoughts and reactions to this article.
I may not he able to answer each personally, but I will try to answer in future articles (please include your written permission to quote you in print on all of your correspondence about this article). If you write, please use 8x11 paper and keep a carbon copy for yourself, and please tell me a little some thing about yourself. Such comments may be used in the Kraith Creator's Manual, this fanzine, or introductions to pro-published anthologies.
Some Topics Discussed in the Essay
- Gene Roddenberry based Vulcans' "ethical system" after his own philosophy, his personal ideals
- racial memory, emotions, and a lot of rationalizing
- "It is no secret that I consider myself half-Vulcan & half Darkovan, and the Kraith series is a strong parallel to the Darkover series deliberately."
From the Essay
This is certainly a strange title for an article aimed at the members of the SOCIETY FOR EARTHBOUND VULCANS, not to mention that the article is by the author of the Vulcan-oriented Kraith Series. In fact, many people suspect I am Vulcan, and I never claimed to be human. So why such an article? Because the Vulcan virtues we admire are so alien to the prevailing Earth culture, that we are unbearably attracted to the Vulcan culture. Because we seem to be "Earthbound Vulcans."
The Vulcans (in Kraith) recognized that something was wrong with them. They could not, even with their remarkable genius and science, discover precisely what was causing it. "But they could calculate racial extinction as the inevitable result. They did the only "logical" thing, they used their minds, their self-aware cognitive powers, as their tool of survival. They excised from their own minds, from their society and culture, all actions and decisions based on emotion because their emotions were giving them "wrong", i.e. counter survival, answers.
To accuse a Vulcan of "having" emotions is to accuse him of committing suicide, an insult which has absolutely no counter part in any human culture (even religious ones where suicide is a personal condemnation to hell, because for a Vulcan it is not personal hell , it is racial extinction, deliberate genocide). If any one Vulcan allows emotion to rule him, he may touch off uncontrollable emotional explosions in those around him. Telepathy and race-memory don't make life any bed of roses.
So, for Vulcans , the absolute elimination of emotions is the only logical course. This will remain true so long as whatever is "wrong" with all Vulcans stays "wrong". It will be invalidated the moment that malfunction is corrected, and at that time the only logical course will be to "re-evaluate the function of emotion within culture and-society.
But, for humans, the elimination of emotions is not logical.
Among the Kraith Creators, a debate is currently raging on the nature of "emotion" -- exactly what is is we MEAN when we use that word. I'm not prepared to define it here. I have my doubts about the logical validity of attempting to define any English word in terms of English words. Nevertheless, using the word very loosely, we might say that emotions are the physical manifestations of the mind's lighting calculations based on conscious and unconsciously held assumptions. Emotions can never be relied on to give right answers; there is no substitute for meticulous, rigorous thought. However for a human who has programmed his mind very scrupulously, emotions will be appropriate to the situation - they will in fact be logical. The human race, as a whole and throughout history, is not in a counter-survival bind. It is not suffering a massive malfunction such as the Kraith Vulcans are.
Individuals may of course have mis-programmed themselves and thus suffer from acute anxiety and mysterious emotional upsets - end there are such things as chemical based insanity. But as a whole, the race is at home on this planet and by scrupulous use of the mind, can survive even experiencing emotion publicly.
This aspect of Vulcaninity, the excision of emotion, is neither healthy nor appropriate for humans. Our emotions can be one of cur most precious attributes. Yes there are many Vulcan virtues which can be adopted by humans, which in fact are based on an accurate assumption about the nature of the universe and so must be practised by humans.
These are not uniquely Vulcan virtues, they are virtues which must be common to all sentience in this universe, However, distressingly enough, the societies and cultures of this planet do not publicly honor these virtues, and so one finds them only among Vulcans, Yet they are human virtues.
You have never seen Gene Roddenberry in pointed ears. But it is his philosophy, his personal ideals, which are the basis for most of Vulcan's ethical system. He admits there are times when he wishes his emotions would not detract hm from high-pressure decision situations. But he faces and accepts his emotions, just as Kirk does. And Kirk has enough of these "Vulcan" virtues to attract the unswerving allegiance of Spock without ever behaving in a non-emotional manner.
...for those of you who prefer fiction to philosophy & psychology, I recommend Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover Series, though you may not find them relevant to this discussion. It is no secret that I consider myself half-Vulcan & half Darkovan, and the Kraith series is a strong parallel to the Darkover series deliberately.