What's So Great About Ushas

b sharp · 12 Jul 2008, 20:34 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:34:53 -0400
Subject: (urth) What's So Great About Ushas
Message-ID: <BAY103-W2268772E10AAD50CEA0E53D7930 at phx.gbl>

Roy thanks for your clarification. I misread or misunderstood Paul's qualification that the surgeon
had foresight. I agree that the discussion should move on to  its proper subject, the Hierogrammates,
but I felt it was important to establish the ultimate moral superiority which comes with the God-like
foresight that includes impact on every atom in the universe.

I get the impression Paul is sneering at the notion that some individuals have better moral 
judgement than others. Yet our entire way of life is based on the notion. We give no credence
to the moral authority of invertebrate animals and very little to even the most intelligent animals.
Children start with almost none and are gradually given more as they attain adulthood. Some 
adults are given more moral authority than others and some  are even elected and paid to do nothing
but make moral decisions that affect the lives of others.

As I see it, Wolfe, with this story, and religions which espouse angelic beings are proposing that there 
are individuals who have less moral authority than God but have more than any human.  Thus if Paul B
or Peter Wright feels justified in making moral judgement on Hierogrammates or angels, well, they are
allowed to but (pretending Hieros and angels are real) they are not qualified.  They are like the 
endangered mountain gorilla who judges the game warden who protects them and the poacher as equally
"bad" because they both intrude on territory and drive noisy, scary metal boxes.

I don't know if angels really exist but I think Gene Wolfe thinks they do. And I think he intended 
Hierogrammates to represent them as beings much closer to God than humans and thus morally superior
to us.  They are not meant to be evil manipulative aliens though they might look like they are from a gorilla
perspective ;-).

-bsharp
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