Essay Sample on Prime Directive: Interfering with Societal Development Is Not Allowed

Introduction

The prime directive, also known as the non-interference directive or the Starfleet general order 1 was the representation of the Starfleet's critical ethical principles. The ethical principles were developed and structured on the philosophical ideology that required that individuals should at not given time interfere with the natural and unassisted growth and development of societies (Exeter, 2018). This is regardless of the good or bad intentions of the interference. During its time, the prime detective was highly embraced and observed such that officers of the time vowed to uphold it at all cost, including their lives. The commitment to uphold the prime detective resulted from the perception that it was just not a set of rules, but a philosophical concept that was tested and proved to be right in its stipulations. For instance, it was proved that any form of interference, regardless of its good intentions, is consequential, not to mention that its effects are disastrous (Exeter, 2018). While Star Trek's prime directive disregards interference, Mill necessitated the policy of interventionism.

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John Stuart Mill substantially differed with Star Trek's ideology of intervention. In particular, Mill disregarded Trek's question and opinions on colonialism, claiming that it was necessary for foreign intervention in underdeveloped and uncivilized democracies, considering their level of backwardness and inability to set up a legitimate and functional form of government. Mill, however, acknowledges some aspects of the prime directive, such as the imperial power structures and the civilization stories, but then the prime directive failed to acknowledge the importance of interference in civilizing the backward democracies (Exeter, 2018). According to Mill, interference was important for several reasons that the prime directive failed to acknowledge. First, Mill argued that interference was purely based on the situation of the country. In his writing, Mill stated that a country needed the intervention of the international community in the event that the issues it faced were purely those of foreigners. Otherwise, a country that was in deep struggle over internal and native issues, including civil war or conflict was and deserved to be exempted from the interventionism policy (Exeter, 2018). In other terms, interventionism was only applicable to countries that suffered a foreign attack or subjectivity.

Secondly, Mill claimed that intervention was also necessary for a country that was subject to a hostile situation from its neighbors. In such a situation, Mill stated that interventionism was necessary chiefly because locals suffer from a foreign yoke that subjects them to pain and suffering, which in this case is quite difficult to fight against without a powerful military back up. In such a situation, Mill, unlike Trek, argues that interventionism is highly needed to offer humanitarian assistance to the locals and not to necessarily disturb the balance of the hostility force between the conflicting nations (Exeter, 2018).

Mill would, therefore, think of Star Trek's Prime directive as immoral and inconsiderate, particularly because it did not take into account the real issues that people face in the event that a country is at war. While there are situations that do not require interventionism, Trek should have also have considered instances where people suffer from forces facilitated by foreign yoke, which in this case are quite consequential to the locals of the respective society (Stemwedel, 2016). In other terms, Mill claims that interventionism and non-interventionism are relative and always right and morally acceptable, although it's not always prudent.

After assessing and evaluating Mill's and Trek's ideologies, I find Mill's ideologies to be weighty and highly considerate. I, therefore, think that Mill is right in his argument, particularly because he considers issues that Trek's prime directive ignored (Stemwedel, 2016). For instance, while a country should address its issues internally and establish a lasting solution, people should not be exposed to violence and other inhuman acts that would comprise their well-being as citizens. The move and the willingness to protect the individual rights of the struggling nation aligns with Mill's argument, which in this case, necessitates interventionism (Stemwedel, 2016). However, should a country be suffering from internal issues that do not at any point compromise the well-being of its citizens, then it is only fair that it's left to address and resolve its issues in the best way it may.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the prime directive is one of the ethical principles that were developed to govern and guide the relationship between societies. The prime directive, as developed by Star Trek, required that different nations cease from interfering with the affairs of other nations regardless of the adversity of the situation. During its early days, most people upheld and observed the stipulations of the ethical principle to the extent that some vowed to defend it with their lives, considering its influence and significance in shaping morality and restructuring the ethical code of conduct in how societies interacted. However, Mill, a philosopher, claimed that while the prime directive was effective in addressing some of the issues affecting societies during those days, it was inconsiderate of the issues that would affect humanity in the event that nations failed to address and resolve their issues. As such, Mill stated that it was necessary to introduce the interventionism policy that would indicate when it was and not necessary for nations to offer external aid to a nation under struggle, which played a major role in promoting sanity in society.

References

Exeter, C. (2018). J. S. Mill, the Prime Directive, and the Theory of Moral Intervention. Retrieved 21 November 2019, from https://imperialglobalexeter.com/2018/07/05/j-s-mill-the-prime-directive-and-the-theory-of-moral-intervention/

Stemwedel, J. (2016). The Philosophy Of Star Trek: Is The Prime Directive Ethical?. Retrieved 21 November 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetstemwedel/2015/08/20/the-philosophy-of-star-trek-is-the-prime-directive-ethical/#4760f5982177