Vulcan philosophy Beginning in the 4th century , Vulcan philosophy revolved around the concept of logic . The highest objective of a traditional Vulcan life was to either control or suppress all emotion , thus rendering a purely logical being . This difficult task was attained through meditation and discipline . As Vulcans approached or reached maturity , it was customary to train under the tutelage of a Vulcan master in the Kolinahr ritual , to purge themselves of any remaining lack of emotional control . The father of Vulcan philosophy was Surak , ( ) who helped lead the Vulcan people out of a time of savagery and violence into their new era of peace . His introduction of logic and emotional discipline ushered in the Time of Awakening . ( ) Though committed to the concept of total logic , Vulcan philosophy after the Time of Awakening did not totally abandon its past . Vulcans continued to maintain ceremonies dedicated to ancient religious beliefs and physical training . The Vulcans reasoned that complete dedication to logic could allow for weakness and frailty to arise and endanger them , thus ancient practices such as the " kahs - wan " were preserved and many Vulcans continued some form of dedication to their ancient gods , including ritual pilgrimages . ( ) These ideals were forgotten by many Vulcans around the 22nd century , leading to a corrupt government al system . Unknown at the time , their government had been infiltrated at the highest levels by Romulan operatives , misleading the population with a distorted version of Surak ' s teachings . A small faction called Syrrannite s , founding their philosophy on what was believed to be his true works , discovered Surak ' s original texts , restoring the society he had built . Other works related to this philosophy are Kiri - kin - tha ' s First Law of Metaphysics ( " " Nothing unreal exists " " ) and ' s statement that " " Logic is the cement of our civilization with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our guide . " " ( ; ) Vulcans embraced cultural and racial diversity , as again evidenced through the IDIC . Vulcans also embraced a pacifist philosophy , going so far as to follow strict vegan diets to avoid killing even non - sentient animals . Vulcans believed that the needs of a very large group should go before the needs of a very small group or any individual . ( ; ; ) T ' Pol gave Captain Archer a book on the subject , " The Teachings of Surak " , to read during shore leave on Risa . ( ) Vulcan Philosophy was a topic of study at Starfleet Academy by the 24th century . ( ) Because Data was not affected by feelings or emotional considerations , he considered himself closer to being Vulcan than Human ; however , he was not attracted to Vulcan philosophy . He felt that although their devotion to logic had a certain appeal in its simple purity , he found overall that this was a somewhat stark philosophy , lacking beauty and joy . ( ) Apocrypha . Vulcan thought has been compared to on at least two occasions outside of canon . In the 2005 novel " Orion ' s Hounds " , Counselor Troi wonders if Surak had the Vulcan equivalent of Asperger syndrome . In , a 2012 episode of , Sherlock Holmes ( played by Benedict Cumberbatch ) is compared to Spock , and is speculated to have Asperger ' s syndrome .