[Tobytwo]

I think these are good points. I've never considered Rico as selfish before... interesting. I guess he is. You're right that he learns to fit in: he is a dimwit, though, and hence well placed to do so. Personally, the Federation is so one-culture, and so in love with its own brutality (they would call it "common sense" or "realism") that it would be a very unpleasant place for many people. The system forces the underdogs to obey the military and hope to hell that the military don't decide to beat them up for a laugh. Rico (and maybe RAH) doesn't seem to understand the obvious danger in "taking the wolves and making them the sheepdogs, the sheep will never give trouble." Someone like Orwell would argue that the sheep should turn themselves into sheepdogs, to defeat the wolves (I think!).

With regard to cynicism, I think it is easy to mistake cynicism for wisdom (although I don't think anyone in this thead has done). To me, ST reads like a book by someone despairing of the way the world is going. It seems to be written almost out of disgust.

I do think that it's not possible to escape criticising the book by saying "Heinlein is not supporting the Federation, just putting it forward for debate". The tone of the book strongly suggests that RAH approves of the Federation and thinks it would succeed, and do its citizens good, just as the tone of Brave New World suggests that its society is not perfect by a long way.