Having just witnessed the appalling oppression on Shalmu, Flandry telegramically describes it as "'Bad...'" (p. 398), then elaborates. Rovian of Ferra asks:
"'Why bad?'...Unless it provokes revolt.'" (ibid.)
Flandry does not attempt to explain:
"'Never mind the morals of it. You wouldn't understand.'" (ibid.)
But can a rational, capable, likeable citizen like Rovian really not understand that it is bad to force a father to watch his young daughter being crucified? The Ferrans must have some morality or they would not have survived as a social species.
This reminds me of a question that I asked about the Time Patrol. The Patrol agents that we see are what we would call moral but the organization guards over a million years of history. Who else might they recruit? Do they care what means are used? Since the Patrol guards the history that includes the Holocaust, do some of its agents implement the Final Solution? Back to the Terran Empire: would Rovian commit genocide if ordered to?
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Of course the Ferrans must have some sense of morality! But, like the Tigeries of Starkad, most of them might not take the kind of interest some humans have in the ultimate questions. I'm reminded of the Ivanhoans, who are like the humans in also being concerned about ultimate issues.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I should have added, as a conclusion to my prior comment, that the Ferrans could be just as ferocious and callous as humans, alas, can be.
Ad astra! Sean
Also, they're carnivores and probably have smaller "primary group" social patterns, being less gregarious than humans.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Apologies for being so "late."
Your comment made me think the Ferrans evolved from carnivores as unusually social as our Terrestrial lions.
Ad astra! Sean
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