I agree that there is a popular conception as you say, but I think Spock works more effectively as a warning against rational attire as opposed to rationality. I don’t actually know the creators’ intentions. I just think than when Spock admonishes Kirk for his illogical play in making the winning move in a chess game early on, it’s plain enough what’s up—although maybe it’s my trouble imagining a rational theory of chess wherein the correct move is one other than the one that puts your opponent in checkmate.
I can’t find any authoritative discussion of Spock’s intended purpose. I asked someone who’s seen the show in as non-loaded a way as I could, and ey said that Spock was generally intended to be perceived as rational, and that the chess games in particular are often a metaphor for the action of the episode. McCoy and Spock often function as Kirk’s System 1 and System 2, giving him advice that he combines into an instrumentally rational decision. I agree that Spock is often a good example of what not to do.
I agree that there is a popular conception as you say, but I think Spock works more effectively as a warning against rational attire as opposed to rationality. I don’t actually know the creators’ intentions. I just think than when Spock admonishes Kirk for his illogical play in making the winning move in a chess game early on, it’s plain enough what’s up—although maybe it’s my trouble imagining a rational theory of chess wherein the correct move is one other than the one that puts your opponent in checkmate.
I can’t find any authoritative discussion of Spock’s intended purpose. I asked someone who’s seen the show in as non-loaded a way as I could, and ey said that Spock was generally intended to be perceived as rational, and that the chess games in particular are often a metaphor for the action of the episode. McCoy and Spock often function as Kirk’s System 1 and System 2, giving him advice that he combines into an instrumentally rational decision. I agree that Spock is often a good example of what not to do.