What's So Great About Ushas?

b sharp · 14 Jul 2008, 12:19 · from 2008-July.txt.gz

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From: bsharporflat at hotmail.com (b sharp)
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:19:25 -0400
Subject: (urth) What's So Great About Ushas?
Message-ID: <BAY103-W42B19F298ABE8A8AAC13DED78D0 at phx.gbl>

Thalassocrat says to Roy:
>Given all this, I still can't figure out why you believe that the 
>Hierogrammates are working directly for the Increate. They weren't 
>created directly by him; they display no apparent superiority to 
>man apart from wielding greater power; their explicit agenda is 
>entirely self-serving with no hint of holiness or whatever. And so 
>on ...

My understanding is that by definition, everything in the universes
was created directly by the Increate in exact accordance to his plans. 
This includes holy, marvelously good angels (Hierogrammates) and unholy,
evil devils (megatherians). Each has their assigned role.  But even if you feel
that the Hierogrammages are not holy and good that doesn't change their origin. 

But it seems clear from interviews with Wolfe that there is an allegorical nature to
BotNS and thus I think his intention must have been to present Hierogrammates 
as very, very good; better than human. If he failed to impress certain readers with
their goodness I think it has to do with philosophical differences (most likely 
religious vs. atheist). He made the Hierogrammates angels, not Gandhi or MLK Jr.
And angels are known to carry flaming swords and to wipe out whole populations of
people, in the Bible.

Roy C. Lackey says in response to my post:
>As above. You are trying to define your way out of challenges to your
>belief(s) by presenting your belief(s) as axiomatic. Not only that, but
>anyone who disagrees with you is necessarily a fool.

Roy, I think maybe I am not smart enough to understand exactly what you mean by
that. I'll note that I don't really have any beliefs and my posts here are meant to 
describe what I think are Gene Wolfe intentions (perhaps reflecting his beliefs) in this 
story.  I certainly don't consider those who disagree with me to be fools.

We don't seem to understand each other's position and we are probably forced to 
agree to disagree on this issue. I might pose one remaining question though, to help
me understand- If humans are qualified to judge the morality of Hierogrammates, by
analogy, animals with some intelligence and social consciousness (let's say apes, 
cetaceans and dogs qualify) would be equally able to judge humans.  Would you 
(or anyone else here) agree with this statement? And if not, why not?

-bsharp

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