I should also have mentioned James Blish's A Case Of Conscience:
Volume III:
Ruiz-Sanchez’s scientific discoveries on Lithia seem to him to contradict Catholicism. If the Lithians are apparently good without divine help, then they are really
created by Satan to mislead mankind even though Catholics deny that
Satan can create. Pope Hadrian VIII helps Ruiz to resolve this conflict
by regarding the Lithians as a demonically-induced hallucination but
how plausible is that? If Satan does not, we think, induce planet-wide
hallucinations on Earth, why should he be able to do so fifty light
years away? But, in any case, mere contradiction of Catholicism would not make the desire for secular knowledge evil.
An
atheist defeats Ruiz by influencing UN policy on Lithia. A lapsed
Catholic inspires awe in Ruiz by communicating instantaneously with
Lithia. Thus, secular scientists dominate Ruiz’s period for both good
and evil, communication and destruction.-copied from here.
Poul Anderson's Cainites are superficially similar to Blish's Lithians in that neither species has any concept of God. However, the Cainites lack the moral goodness which troubled Blish's Jesuit character when coupled with complete ignorance of God. Nevertheless, Anderson, in this and other works, addresses the same theological issues as CS Lewis and James Blish.
2 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I too believe Satan is both real and unable to be creative as God is creative.
I'm not quite so sure the Yildivans of Cain are totally devoid of any idea of "goodness." We do see one of the Cainite leaders coming to regret the attack on van Rijn's men and trying to make amends. That indicates at least some awareness of ethics.
But, of course, the problem of the dog like Lugals remains. They were BRED by the Yildivans to be both intelligent and literally unable to oppose the Yildivans (unless a Lugal becomes insane). Which I found all too reminiscent of Stirling's Draka and their genetically modified slave caste, the Homines servi.
Sean
Does the claim that the least religious countries (of those where non-religion is not enforced by the goverenment) have the best societies, (least poverty, crime etc.) create a similar problem in real life for religious believers, that Lithia does in "A Case of Conscience"?
See
https://onlysky.media/pzuckerman/the-secular-seven/
for an article on this idea.
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