Yes, I think the genocide question in the context of the show is an interesting and debatable one, though of course I agree that in real life it is a horrendous crime and I certainly never ever in any way meant to imply that you or anyone might approve of that. I only meant that in the show it might not seem like Lee's advocacy of biological warfare to wipe out the Cylons was morally incorrect, although I personally thought that it was.
In the show, the big questions seem to be 1) are Cylons just machines simulating life, or do they possess sentience which qualifies them as rights-bearing individuals? 2) can the self-defense of one people justify the extermination of another? and 3) in a race of clones, is there anyone who qualifies as a non-combatant or civilian?
To give my own perspective on these questions, I would say: 1) the Cylons are clearly sentient and they seem to have free will (to the extent that anyone does in the BSG universe) which makes them rights-bearing individuals who are responsible for their actions, in my book. For this reason, I disapprove of the torture and execution without trial that is generally their lot when they fall into the hands of the Colonial Fleet. I'm not saying that they are innocent, far from it, but even murderers deserve trials, and I don't think torture is ever justified although I certainly understand the pressures involved when it seems like innocent lives might be at stake. 2) This second question is basically the Mutual Assured Destruction question, and I don't pretend that there is any easy answer. I personally feel that it is wrong to deliberately kill large numbers of enemy civilians even in order to protect one's own population from destruction. But I'm sure many out there would disagree with me. 3) The trickiest question, given the context of the show, is whether there are any innocent people/civilians among the Cylons, or whether every single copy is actively engaged in the genocidal campaign being carried out by the ones we see chasing the Colonial fleet? The problem with biological weapons is that they don't discriminate between citizens and soliders, adults and children, etc. Helo believes that there are those among the Cylons who cannot be held responsible for their leaders' war, taking his wife as an example. For that reason, he opposes the use of non-discriminatory, totalizing weapons. I tend to give Helo and Athena and the Cylon race the benefit of the doubt on this, especially given the divisions we see developing later on in their society. For that reason, I think Helo made the right choice, though it was also a tremendously risky one.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-07-16 08:28 pm (UTC)In the show, the big questions seem to be 1) are Cylons just machines simulating life, or do they possess sentience which qualifies them as rights-bearing individuals? 2) can the self-defense of one people justify the extermination of another? and 3) in a race of clones, is there anyone who qualifies as a non-combatant or civilian?
To give my own perspective on these questions, I would say: 1) the Cylons are clearly sentient and they seem to have free will (to the extent that anyone does in the BSG universe) which makes them rights-bearing individuals who are responsible for their actions, in my book. For this reason, I disapprove of the torture and execution without trial that is generally their lot when they fall into the hands of the Colonial Fleet. I'm not saying that they are innocent, far from it, but even murderers deserve trials, and I don't think torture is ever justified although I certainly understand the pressures involved when it seems like innocent lives might be at stake. 2) This second question is basically the Mutual Assured Destruction question, and I don't pretend that there is any easy answer. I personally feel that it is wrong to deliberately kill large numbers of enemy civilians even in order to protect one's own population from destruction. But I'm sure many out there would disagree with me. 3) The trickiest question, given the context of the show, is whether there are any innocent people/civilians among the Cylons, or whether every single copy is actively engaged in the genocidal campaign being carried out by the ones we see chasing the Colonial fleet? The problem with biological weapons is that they don't discriminate between citizens and soliders, adults and children, etc. Helo believes that there are those among the Cylons who cannot be held responsible for their leaders' war, taking his wife as an example. For that reason, he opposes the use of non-discriminatory, totalizing weapons. I tend to give Helo and Athena and the Cylon race the benefit of the doubt on this, especially given the divisions we see developing later on in their society. For that reason, I think Helo made the right choice, though it was also a tremendously risky one.
But certainly feel free to disagree :)