Star Trek: Next Generation, The Masterpiece Society focuses on the human beings as the colonists. The Enterprise has been given the responsibility of the Moab sector to monitor a stellar core fragment from a split Neutron star. The fragment is a threat to the human colony as it is expected to pass close to Moab IV.
This episode examines the concept of cultural contamination and its consequences. Cultural relativism is the first philosophical concept in the episode which suggests that a person’s beliefs and actions are interpreted by others according to the person’s own culture. Aaron Conor, the head of the colony, refuses to arrange for evacuation when he is informed of the threat that lies ahead. He explains that the colony was created 200 years as a strategy to design a perfect society through genetically engineering and selective breeding. He argues that the evacuation would contaminate the perfect order achieved. Similarly, in the society today some communities believe that the intrusion of foreigners will interfere with their cultural identity and organization.
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Anthropocentrism principle is seen through the human colony which perceives itself as the most significant species. Therefore the leaders of the colony do everything in their power to protect the colony from contamination. In the world today, human beings are the superior living things as they control most social, economic and political aspects.
The Kantian deontological principle when Bates recognizes that the colony has failed and is behind the technological improvements of the federation – thus, she falsifies the readings in order to exit the colony. In today’s society, the Kantian ethics is used to determine whether a person's actions can be justified by the moral worth.
The antropic principle is evident through Picard who admits that the colony's society will be contaminated if Bates and 22 others are given asylum, but he cannot refuse this offer since it will be a violation of the human free will. Similarly, in the modern society the laws of a country are designed to be compatible to be intelligence and conscious of life; thus providing every citizen equal opportunities to pursue justice without the violation of their rights irrespective of the crimes committed.
