Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Moses Figures And Political Parties

Robert Heinlein's Future History has two Moses figures. DD Harriman opens the "Promised Land" of space but cannot go there himself for health reasons and dies on the Moon when he finally does get there in retirement. Lazarus Long leads his people, the Howard Families, to freedom on their exodus out of the Solar System. In Poul Anderson's Starfarers, Alvin Brent probably sees himself as returning:

"...to Earth like Moses down from Mount Sinai, prophet and leader." (32, p. 301)

- but that will not happen.

Larry Niven's Piersson's Puppeteers have two political parties, Conservatives and Experimentalists. Conservatives win elections except during crises. Anderson's Tahirians have "conservatives" and "adventurers" in a consensus society. When adventurers accompany human beings on dangerous missions to a neutron star and a black hole, conservatives impose observers. This is not opposed.

Please accept brevity. Life continues here.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Alvin Brent's hopes and ambitions, even if he had returned to Earth after more than 10,000 years, were sheerly hopeless and unrealistic. Captain Nansen was a far more Moses like figure, even tho he never claimed such a role.

Reached Chapter 21 of STARFARERS and Chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Note, however, that political leaders do share one characteristic: a belief that great political power is theirs by right.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I usually just think of it as politicians craving to have power. I'm sure many of us have wondered what we might do if we could be Absolute Dictator of the US or the UK! Heck, think big, Absolute Tyrant of the Solar System! (Laughs)

Ad astra! Sean