Quite right. Perhaps the Vulcans can be assumed to have an agreed-upon set of goals or values? (Interestingly, a general theme of the textbook for the ethics

Quite right. Perhaps the Vulcans can be assumed to have an agreed-upon set of goals or values? (Interestingly, a general theme of the textbook for the ethics class I took was that people develop their ability to make good ethical decisions largely through story-telling, since it provides an opportunity for people to imagine circumstances outside their immediate experience. If I remember correctly, a lot of the examples in the text were taken from Star Trek. It's interesting to think of Star Trek as not principally a science fiction show but rather a vehicle for exploring ethical dilemmas.)