What's So Great About Ushas

Roy C. Lackey · 12 Jul 2008, 23:50 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:50:48 -0500
Subject: (urth) What's So Great About Ushas
Message-ID: <001001c8e47a$1f1b8760$39cf4a0c at rclackey.stic.net>

b sharp wrote:
>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.

The textual quote I made establishes conclusively that the Hierogrammates
*do not* have "God-like foresight that includes impact on every atom in the
universe." Far from it. Tzadkiel was not only an admitted liar, he was a
cheater as well. He peeked into the future to handicap his gamble that
Severian would bring a fresh sun to bring about Ushas and the hoped-for goal
of establishing the Hieros in Briah. He found the probability of success
exceeded fifty-fifty odds, so he judged the destruction of Urth worth the
gamble. Then, in a sop to freewill, Sev still had to win the fight with the
sailors after the Trial--unless you are willing to concede that the outcome
of the fight was rigged.

>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.

Being elected to a given position is hardly a qualifier for the morality of
the elected. History books and today's newspapers are replete with examples.
The power of the state to impose its will on people does not confer right
action. History books etc.

>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.

That is some very curious logic. You have presented a closed system that, by
definition, not only excludes challenges from outside the system, it
dismisses those challenges as down-right impertinent.

> 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 ;-).

You must know by now that I happen to agree that the Hierogrammates worked
directly for the Increate. But that opinion doesn't make me automatically
right.

-Roy

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