Okay, what I learned from Starship Troopers...
First of all, I quote from Mr. Dubois, a character whom I enjoy very much: "Anyone who clings to the historically untrue--and thoroughly immoral--doctrine that 'violence never settles anything' I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its best. Breeds that have forgotten this basic truth have always paid it with their lives and freedoms."
Coupled with a quote from the protagonist, Johnnie Rico: "Man is what he is, a wild animal with the will to survive, and (so far) the ability, against all competition. Unless one accepts that, anything one says about morals, war, politics--you name it--is nonsense. Correct morals arise from knowing what Man is--not what do-gooders and old Aunt Nellies would like him to be. The universe will let us know--later--whether or not Man has any "right" to expand through it."
This, I thinks, sums up a lot of the way I've been feeling. No one attempts to justify the behavior of gorillas, bears, lions, or eagles, for the simple and excellent fact that killing to survive is part of their nature. Well, man IS an animal--three bio teachers can't be wrong--so why shouldn't killing be an ingrained part of his nature as well?
This also brings up the issue of good stewardship. When God commissioned us to be good stewards of the Earth, it seems doubtful that he meant us to live like little Dutch boys and girls in some craft-fair ceramics idea of paradise. Good stewardship means conserving resources when possible and using them when necessary, and for--GASP--selfish reasons! Yes! Time to admit it, people--what we do, we do primarily for personal gain. Even selfless acts such as a father saving his children from a flood and in doing so dying is an act meant (naturally at a primal, deeply subconscious level) to further the survival of our species. (Not my original idea--more Heinlein.) So whether we do something for ourselves specifically--person to person--or for our species, we act selfishly. Why? Human nature. I'm not Anne Frank and I'm not Sartre--whether or not our nature is good, bad, or indifferent is, in this instance, irrelevant. Selfishness at such a level is not a bad thing--I'd rather have the blood of another species on my hands and survive than die in a state of moral purity. (Moral purity is overrated anyways--what is a man without vices?)
Well, I'm all typed out and I want to quit while I'm ahead. Ahead being a subjective term, bien sur.
First of all, I quote from Mr. Dubois, a character whom I enjoy very much: "Anyone who clings to the historically untrue--and thoroughly immoral--doctrine that 'violence never settles anything' I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its best. Breeds that have forgotten this basic truth have always paid it with their lives and freedoms."
Coupled with a quote from the protagonist, Johnnie Rico: "Man is what he is, a wild animal with the will to survive, and (so far) the ability, against all competition. Unless one accepts that, anything one says about morals, war, politics--you name it--is nonsense. Correct morals arise from knowing what Man is--not what do-gooders and old Aunt Nellies would like him to be. The universe will let us know--later--whether or not Man has any "right" to expand through it."
This, I thinks, sums up a lot of the way I've been feeling. No one attempts to justify the behavior of gorillas, bears, lions, or eagles, for the simple and excellent fact that killing to survive is part of their nature. Well, man IS an animal--three bio teachers can't be wrong--so why shouldn't killing be an ingrained part of his nature as well?
This also brings up the issue of good stewardship. When God commissioned us to be good stewards of the Earth, it seems doubtful that he meant us to live like little Dutch boys and girls in some craft-fair ceramics idea of paradise. Good stewardship means conserving resources when possible and using them when necessary, and for--GASP--selfish reasons! Yes! Time to admit it, people--what we do, we do primarily for personal gain. Even selfless acts such as a father saving his children from a flood and in doing so dying is an act meant (naturally at a primal, deeply subconscious level) to further the survival of our species. (Not my original idea--more Heinlein.) So whether we do something for ourselves specifically--person to person--or for our species, we act selfishly. Why? Human nature. I'm not Anne Frank and I'm not Sartre--whether or not our nature is good, bad, or indifferent is, in this instance, irrelevant. Selfishness at such a level is not a bad thing--I'd rather have the blood of another species on my hands and survive than die in a state of moral purity. (Moral purity is overrated anyways--what is a man without vices?)
Well, I'm all typed out and I want to quit while I'm ahead. Ahead being a subjective term, bien sur.
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