Will Terrestrials export genocide? One of Flandry's Altaian guides informs him that the Prophet's Tower is the holiest place "'...in all the stars...'" (IV, p. 352) and that only the Tebtengri would regard it without reverence but that they are northern rebels, heathens, magicians and "'..traffickers with the Ice People...,'" (ibid.) fit only to be exterminated. Recognition of holiness leads straight to extermination! According to Rudolph Otto, (see also here) holiness synthesizes awesomeness with goodness. Recognition of the awesome, or "awful," alone has generated human sacrifice and other atrocities.
This is the second textual reference to "Ice People." So far, they could still be mythological. We gather, further, that the followers of the Prophet regard them as demonic. However, since this is sf, there are other possibilities. We read on and learn more.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
As a conservative I believe in being realistic and having no illusions about either human beings or other intelligent races which may have Fallen. So, yes, I believe that anything bad humans have done on Terra can, and most likely, will happen on other worlds.
But that does not mean I favor the human race forever cowering on Earth because we are so wicked! I am all for mankind colonizing other planets, which is why I hope so much that Elon Musk manages to found his Mars colony. I even purchased a few shares in his company, Tesla, to encourage that, in a tiny way!
Must more can be said about such issues, but I will refer readers to things as varied as Anderson's "Commentary" in SPACE FOLK, Robert Zubrin's THE CASE FOR SPACE, or J. Rosato and A. Vincelette's EXTRATERRESTRIALS IN THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION. Or even my own effort in "God and Alien in Anderson's Technic Civilization."
Ad astra! Sean
Human beings are instinctually tribalistic; and groups define themselves -against- each other.
There is no "Us" without a "Them".
Us Good, Them Baaaad is the oldest war-cry in the world and it's still going strong.
As G.K. Chesterton put it, all religious dogmas have to be taken on faith... except for Original Sin, for which there is abundant empirical proof.
Trying to deny this is like trying to outrun your own sweat on a hot day -- very little result for a lot of effort.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolute agreement! It is sheer folly to deny either tribalism or of how flawed and imperfect we are.
Ad astra! Sean
Depends what you consider perfection. Humans are pretty good at being all too human.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
God alone is perfect by nature. And the souls of the just with Him in Heaven as are as perfect as their nature allows them to be.
Agree, what you said about humans being all TOO human!
Ad astra! Sean
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