Individuality is defined as the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Hence, a persons needs, goals and desires make up his or her individuality.
Individualists consider one’s goals and desire more important than any society, group or institution. While collectivism, stresses that communal, community, group, societal, or national goals should take priority over individual goals. A utopia in which the needs, goals and desires of each individual are same or sacrificed for the good of the society will destroy the concept of an individual. Similarly an interconnected collective like the Borg have no individuality.
The Borg is an extreme case of collectivism. Such an extreme type of Collectivism can be considered a fictional form of communism (which prefers common ownership to private ownership). So was the Borg inspired from communists? Does it play on the American fears of communism prevalent at the time Star Trek was written? The assimilation of cultures and beings can be compared to the growth of communism assimilating countries.
The Borg also resemble Ants in many ways:
Ant colonies also have some fertile males called "drones" and one or more fertile females called "queens".
The colonies are sometimes described as super organisms because ants appear to operate as a unified entity, collectively working together to support the colony
So is the Borg inspired from ants or communists or a combination of both?
1 comment:
Probably a bit weird getting a comment this delayed, but the Borg were inspired by these guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberman
Who were meant as a rather unsubtle metaphor of communism. So yes, The Borg are communists.
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