Moral Stupidity by Orson Scott Card (OSC)

Ornery.org ^ | June 16, 2003 | Orson Scott Card

[jrawk]

ping

[MalcolmS]

May I strongly suggest that you read Card's "Pastwatch, the Redemption of Christopher Columbus".

An excellent, thoughtful book. It is not only good SF, it's good history and philosophy, all in a well-written story. I have re-read it countless times, and there's always a new nugget to digest. It's one of the few fiction books I've read with a bibliography.

I personally rank it as one of the best, most thoughtful books of the 20th century.

He's also edited an anthology call Fire and Ice. The book itself is not particularly noteworthy, but Card's forward is tremendous. Check it out of your local library for that reason alone!

[Andyman]

You can't do better than "Ender's Game." His best, and perhaps my favorite SF book ever. The rest of the series goes downhill. He also has a collection of short stories, I don't know the title. It was his short stories in OMNI magazine that brought him to my attention. I would be hard pressed to name a more creative writer.

[Krafty123]

I liked "Sandkings" (different author, short (~100 pages) story) better...

[BlazingArizona]

You can also take a look at Larry Niven.

And don't forget Jerry Pournelle, who often collaborates with Niven.

[Publius6961]

Wow

[Tolik]

In "Shadow Puppets" future OSC shows that Muslim world after more devastating defeats finally decided to drop the meaning of Jihad in its current aggressive form keeping only self-improvement interpretation. In that variation of the future they are the land of peace and stability in the turbulent world. Feels more like fantasy now then SF.

[Tolik]

Another great SF is "The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson.

[Tolik]

Can you do me a favor and ping your Mideast list? Thank you.

[Moonman62]

That's because I cannot find a single leader in the Democratic Party who is capable of acting on the basis of what is right, rather than what will make our side win.

And this is where the Republican Party is headed, cheered on by a good many FReepers.

[Moonman62]

It makes me ashamed of the Democratic Party that this seems to be the only moral process available to the party's leadership. I used to call myself a "Moynihan Democrat." But now that he's dead, I'm reduced to calling myself a "Tony Blair Democrat."

It's amazing that a Democrat can write such an article. I guess he's gone through an awakening recently. In the past I'd say he's soon to be a Republican, but during these times of a "new tone in Washington," it's best not to have an affiliation.

[My2Cents]

I personally rank it as one of the best, most thoughtful books of the 20th century.

That's quite an endorsement. You've got me hooked. I can't pass this one up. And from the other posters' suggestions, I'll have to add "Ender's Game" to the list. Many thanks!

[Publius6961]

but he's intellectually lazy in his failure to address the great imbalance of conventional military power between the Palestinians and Israelis and account for it in his moral calculus.

Aside from open-mouthed incredulity, "moral stupidity" is the only possible comment that can be made about a statement so monumentally puerile and ignorant.

[Bigg Red]

Excellent piece!

But I have to disagree with

"Most Democrats know that there is a vast difference between nations that use military action to protect their citizens and "nations" that deliberately murder innocent civilians within the borders of their enemy."

There are conservatives who don't see the Israelis as victims of these evil people, largely due to the anti-Israel spin in the lamestream media that tries to equate the terrorists' attacks with Israeli retaliation.

[Tolik]

Oscar Scott Card is on my short must-read list together with Victor Davis Hanson, Mark Steyn, and Lee Harris with TCS. If you want to fight moral stupidity with moral clarity -- they provide the ammunition like nobody else.

I recently added Theodore Dalrymple (also here) to the list.

[DeuceTraveler]

I really liked Orson Scott Card before.

I love him now.

[Tolik]

oscar=orson, duh

[LiteKeeper]

read later

[Mr. Jeeves]

Card is a brilliant writer. There has been a remarkable trend in literature in recent decades - authors of speculative fiction have evolved to become far superior in their understanding of morality and the human condition than authors of so-called "literary" fiction. (The latter seems to consist primarily of Jewish lesbians in Manhattan writing stories about Jewish lesbians in Manhattan to be edited by Jewish lesbians in Manhattan for an audience of Jewish lesbians in Manhattan.)

Speculative fiction is where the real writing talent appears in these times, despite the sneering dismissals of "genre fiction" common in literary circles.

[Stultis]

Terrific. Does the U.S. have a sci-fi author laureate yet?