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Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28 Lyrics by Robert Heinlein

Starship Troopers

1987

I ran along. I guess he thought that settled it . . . and I suppose I did, too. Mars! And on my own! But I didn’t tell Carl about it; I had a sneaking suspicion that he would regard it as a bribe . Well, maybe it was. Instead I simply told him that my father and I seemed to have different ideas about it.
    “Yeah,” he answered, “so does mine. But it’s my life.” I thought about it during the last session of our class in History and Moral Philosophy. H. & M. P. was different from other courses in that everybody had to take it but nobody had to pass it— and Mr. Dubois never seemed to care whether he got through to us or not. He would just point at you with the stump of his left arm (he never bothered with names) and snap a question. Then the argument would start.
    But on the last day he seemed to be trying to find out what we had learned . One girl told him bluntly: “My mother says that violence never settles anything.”
    “So?” Mr. Dubois looked at her bleakly. “I’m sure the city fathers of Carthage would be glad to know that. Why doesn’t your mother tell them so? Or why don’t you?”
    They had tangled before— since you couldn’t flunk the course, it wasn’t necessary to keep Mr. Dubois buttered up. She said shrilly, “You’re making fun of me! Everybody knows that Carthage was destroyed!”
    “You seemed to be unaware of it,” he said grimly. “Since you do know it, wouldn’t you say that violence had settled their destinies rather thoroughly? However, I was not making fun of you personally; I was heaping scorn on an inexcusably silly idea— a practice I shall always follow. Anyone who clings to the historically untrue— and thoroughly immoral— doctrine that ‘violence never settles anything’ I would advise to conjure up the ghosts of Napoleon Bonaparte and of the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of Hitler could referee, and the jury might well be the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and freedoms.”
    He sighed. “Another year, another class— and, for me, another failure. One can lead a child to knowledge but one cannot make him think.” Suddenly he pointed his stump at me. “You. What is the moral difference, if any, between the soldier and the civilian?”
    “The difference,” I answered carefully, “lies in the field of civic virtue. A soldier accepts personal responsibility for the safety of the body politic of which he is a member, defending it, if need be, with his life. The civilian does not.”
    “The exact words of the book,” he said scornfully. “But do you understand it? Do you believe it?”
    “Uh, I don’t know, sir.”
    “Of course you don’t! I doubt if any of you here would recognize ‘civic virtue’ if it came up and barked in your face!” He glanced at his watch. “And that is all, a final all. Perhaps we shall meet again under happier circumstances. Dismissed.”
Heinlein, Robert A. (1987-05-15). Starship Troopers (pp. 26-28). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.
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Robert Heinlein

Robert Heinlein

About “Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28” by Robert Heinlein

Read the complete lyrics to "Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28" by Robert Heinlein from the album "Starship Troopers" in 1987. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28" is performed by Robert Heinlein. from the album "Starship Troopers" in 1987 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28", explore more songs by Robert Heinlein using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28" is credited to Robert Heinlein. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Starship Troopers - History & Moral Philosophy Excerpt pg 26-28" appears on "Starship Troopers" in 1987.

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