Free Star Trek and History by Nancy Reagin

Our Civilization: Vulcan “Humanism”
    Just as Vulcan origin stories have parallels in Earth’s religious cultures, Vulcan’s social institutions and rituals show what a society that creates a cult of reason rather than a religious belief system could look like. Although Vulcans do not worship a deity or deities, they have rituals and other practices reminiscent of religion, and their society has a strongly monastic cast. Vulcans are often shown in robes, engaging in hours of meditation. A coming-of-age ritual, the kahs-wan, resembles such religious rituals as the Australian Aboriginal walkabout or the vision quests of North American Indian tribes such as the Ojibway. Another ritual, Kolinahr, is undertaken only by adepts, and it resembles monastic rites in several Earth traditions.
    The Vulcan greetings, “Peace and long life” and “Live long and prosper,” are accompanied by a salute, a hand gesture separating the index and middle fingers from the ring and pinky fingers, to make a V, for Vulcan. The salute is often used in greetings and good-byes. The first actor to play a Vulcan on Star Trek , Leonard Nimoy, borrowed the gesture from the Jewish priestly blessing given in Orthodox synagogues. 3 The gesture brings the sense of the sacred from a real Earth religion to invest Vulcan nontheistic philosophy with a sense of majesty and solemnity.
    The basis of Vulcan philosophy is IDIC, “infinite diversity in infinite combinations,” or in Vulcan, kol ut shan . This idea both affirms a tolerance for the diversity of life and the vast array of variables in the universe. The symbol for the IDIC consists of geometric shapes overlapping upon each other—a crescent with an overlapping triangle that has a circular shape at its tip. As a symbol Vulcans wear, this IDIC emblem is similar to a religious symbol such as a cross or an eagle feather.
    The values of Vulcan society are scientific inquiry, self-control, peace, and tolerance, and Vulcan institutions reflect that. The Vulcan Science Academy, for example, is one of the most important organizations in Vulcan society. Research conducted at this institution benefited all member species of the Federation, and it resulted in the development of time travel, red matter, and transporters. The academy is also a symbol of the central place of science in this society.
Logic Is the Beginning of Wisdom, Not the End
    The Vulcans are a people with strong emotions who deify logic, placing it at the center of their culture where human religions put God. They consider themselves uniquely destructive and animalistic, more so than humans. This resonates with ideas in Earth religions about sin and human imperfection. Vulcans believe Surak’s teachings about logic saved them twice, once at the Time of Awakening, when he persuaded them not to destroy themselves through civil war, and again during the Reformation, when Surak was effectively reincarnated through the Syrrannites. It is never clear whether the Vulcan ability to master emotion and rely on reason is inherent in them as a species or is only the result of culture. Nowhere is this more evident than with Spock.
    As a person of mixed Vulcan-human heritage, Spock often struggles to maintain a Vulcan identify. Many Vulcans did not see him as a true Vulcan because he had difficulty mastering his emotions. He attempted to sever his human side and left Starfleet for several years so he could train for the Kolinahr ritual. At the ritual, Spock’s emotions began to surface, and he found himself unable to complete it. Traditions such as the Kolinahr are vital to the Vulcan identity. Did this make Spock less of a Vulcan?
    In the “reboot” timeline, all Vulcans may have to grapple with similar challenges. Can Vulcans maintain both their collective and individual identities if they have lost the planet where those originated? The most recent Star Trek movie takes place in an alternate