For as long as we have been conscious creatures, capable of making choices and hurting others, humans have pondered the problem of evil. When given the option between causing harm or avoiding harm, why choose harm? There are situations in which injury is unavoidable, or someone in a difficult position has to choose the lesser of two bad options, but that is not usually what is meant by pure evil. Wickedness for its own sake, carried out because it gives the perpetrator pleasure or power, more accurately demonstrates this strange phenomenon perpetuated by beings capable of free will. The nature of evil has been so ingrained in our culture that the mystery of its origin formed the foundation of many a creation myth. Whether it came from a forbidden fruit or it was released from a box, it is here to stay.
On the volcanic planet Excalbia, Kirk and Spock encounter an alien who is so perplexed about the characteristics of good and evil that he decides to conduct an experiment. During their geological survey around the planet, the Enterprise crew is first confronted with the image of Abraham Lincoln. Naturally, everyone is a little suspicious, but scans show that he does appear to be the real deal. Abraham is on an equally suspicious mission to get Kirk and Spock to beam to the surface of the planet. No one is sure what to make of this strange aberration, who is unfamiliar with futuristic technology and customs, but somehow knowledgeable of famous Vulcan philosophers. Kirk is enamored by his childhood hero, considering this Lincoln to be everything he imagined the real one to be, and accepts the offer to visit the planet surface. Spock accompanies him, and once there, they meet Surak, the famous Vulcan philosopher and peacemaker. They were all brought together as part of an experiment conducted by the aliens inhabiting the planet to determine whether good or evil is stronger. A bulbous rock monster named Yarnek explains that the four men will be on ‘team good’, fighting to the death against Genghis Khan and three famous Star Trek villains.
This little adventure masquerades as a philosophical exploration of good and evil, but instead it is a masterclass of bad experimental design. The alien had the ability to transform other beings into historical figures, but it only did that for six of the eight experimental subjects. Without keeping all players equal, the experiment is instead testing what Kirk and Spock would do in this strange situation filled with fantasy players, instead of equally measuring two philosophies. Granted, philosophers usually conduct thought experiments, and scientists would hopefully not be so unethical, but both would agree that Kirk and Spock would need to be transformed as well to keep all variables comparable.
In addition to the questionable setup, the most egregious flaw in this study would be the lack of controls. This is apparent when we learn the Yarnek’s conclusion in the end. After Surak’s unsuccessful peace negotiations, and Lincoln’s botched rescue attempt, Kirk manages to kill two baddies. The blobby alien ends the experiment, concluding that there is no difference between good and evil, because they both use the same methods to fight each other. It would have been more informative to also test a peaceful group against another peaceful group, and then an evil group against another evil group, to see how they work to solve challenges. It is impossible to arrive at Yarnek’s supposed conclusion with his experimental design. The controls could show how peacemakers would negotiate and work together, and selfish people would work to undermine each other, or escalate violence, when faced with the same challenge. Pitting a group of peaceful, non-violent types against attackers would only demonstrate how the peaceful group defends itself or deals with stressful situations, but not how they would act normally. For a lack of better options, the peaceful group may have to turn to violence, even though this may be the last thing on their mind. Yarnek’s experiment created a masking effect which hid one group’s normal behavior and led to an inaccurate conclusion.
It is also important to note that ‘team good’ did try a different method at first, when Kirk argued that both sides should defeat the alien as their common enemy, and Surak tried to negotiate for peace. To force ‘team good’ to fight, Yarnek had to threaten to destroy the Enterprise. This illustrated the most fundamental difference between the players. ‘Team evil’ fought for power, while ‘team good’ fought to save lives. Even when their methods were the same, their motivations encompass a fundamental distinguishing belief. One who wants power by any means necessary will do anything to obtain that power, and inflicting senseless suffering is a form of power. One who values life enough to fight for it would not inflict senseless suffering on another person. Despite his botched investigation, Yarnek could have realized this. The nature and origin of evil will probably always be enigmatic, but if we hope to chisel away at this profound mystery, we should at least design better experiments.
Hopeless Trekkie 