Kill All the Bugs
I really liked Ender's Game, but I had a huge problem with Ender's killer instinct. I was interested in the explanations that Rachel and Andrew were advancing for this, one, that Ender was trying to avoid having to hurt others, and, alternately, that Ender was trying to make everyone stop bothering him. I think that the truth is somewhere in the middle, that Ender was trying to avoid having to deal with these issues again, which would make him hurt others, possibly at the extent of getting hurt himself.
However, I still am not really satisfied with the claim that his actions were, therefore, justified. Although he didn't intentionally kill Stilson or Bonzo, he knew before he made his final blows, that they were already defeated, and he couldn't stop himself. Of course, in the case of Bonzo, at least, we know that it was the nasal blow that sent bone splinters into his skull and killed him, not any of the other injuries, although they can't have helped. But that does not excuse Ender either. If Ender's intention was to humiliate Bonzo enough so he would stay away, but not to kill him, than he should have used only enough force to injure him, perhaps knock him out. A boy with Ender's physical control should know precisely the amount of force he is using and what it will do. I personally think that Ender may have known, subconciously, that he was killing Bonzo, and meant to do it.
I am also against the complete annihilation of the Buggers, although, in that case, I do not really hold Ender responsible. His goal was to get himself out of the game, and he didn't realize it was a real fight. (Unless he realized that subconciously as well, which is certainly possible.) In this case, I take more issue with the adults manipulating him. They knew that eliminating all the Buggers, including civilians was morally wrong. This is clearly demonstrated by Mazer's reaction when Ender asks if he can use the Little Doctor on the planet (p. 290-3); he cannot bring himself to say that it is acceptable, and tells Ender to make his own decision. By not telling Ender that the "simulations" were real battles or giving him guidance on the fate of the planet, Mazer and the other adults were trying to distance themselves from the guilt of having wiped out an entire sentient race. They know that it is morally inexcusable, so they are trying to build a sheild of "not me" around themselves.
I know that many in class will disagree with my claim that killing the Buggers is unacceptable. They feel that the attack was carried out in self-defense, but that is clearly not true. After the second Bugger war, it may have been rational to build a fleet and send them towards the Bugger homeworlds, in order to forestall an attack, but by the time that the ships reached the other planets, it was clear that the Buggers were not going to attack. It was therefore unneccesary to actually carry-through with the war. The humans might have kept ships near the Buggers to protect Earth, or kept an advanced military in the area directly around earth, but just wiping out the race which obviously had decided to mind it's own business was unnecessary cruelty and morally reprehensible.
posted by lennearb @ 6:06 PM
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