As much as I respect Gene Roddenberry, something in Star Trek bothers me and that is the “Prime Directive”. At first, I thought it only bothered me because it was inconvenient. It meant, we would not be able to help someone in distress if they hadn’t previously been exposed to extraterrestrial civilizations.
Later, I realized what really bothered me was that it represented a world view that sets us, humanity, apart from everything thing else. There is us, there is God’s plan, or nature, or the universe, and we aren’t part of it. But I don’t believe that is true. I believe we are an integral part of the universe, and an integral part of God’s plan, and if we encounter a civilization that hasn’t previously been exposed to extraterrestrials and if we alter the natural course of that civilizations development, then it was all part of God’s plan, and encountering us was part of their natural development.
So in my view, the Star Trek prime directive is bunk. Just my opinion.
