Thread by @SpockResists

#StarTrek

One of the prime goals of Surak's philosophy is to turn this everpresent reminder of the power of unbridled emotion into a reinforcement of the dedication to Logic. The Vulcan male is aware of the surging emotions of the pon farr not only within himself but also in

those around him. The inability to control emotion leads to a necessity to remove oneself from the mainstream of society for the duration of the condition. This is one reason Surak places such value on Privacy.

The high regard for privacy was not an innovation of Surak but dates from a much earlier time, when Vulcans discovered the literally painful effects of living together in large communities.

They then developed telepathic shields and it soon became the height of rudeness to force one's thoughts and feelings on another. Surak valued privacy for another and perhaps more important reason.

Quite naturally, an individual's highest regard is for himself. This is an ineradicable inheritance from bestial origins and transcends reason. The maintenance of self may be termed dignity. The right to inviolable privacy is essential to maintaining that dignity.

Under no circumstances is it justifiable to infringe upon the dignity of another living being. This attitude is perhaps the key to the Vulcan lack of a "sense of humor" in the human sense. Here we may also find the motivation for acts of compassion. In Vulcans,

such acts arise from the logical necessity to protect the dignity of others as one would one's own. To fail to act to relieve suffering is to fail to acknowledge that the other individual is as important to oneself as oneself, that is, to fail to accord dignity.