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Originally Posted by knivesout I think this novel was especially a topical reaction to Heinlein's dismay with the popular resistance towards the US role in the Vietnam war, an also his discomfort with notions such as nuclear disarmament. |
That would certainly make sense - a book of its time, as much as anything.
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Originally Posted by knivesout He really believed that a strong society had to be one with extensive defensive abilities, and goes to great lengths to glorify this in Starship Troopers. I think his thesis here is little more than 'might makes right' dressed up with pseudo-Darwinist and patriotic trappings. |
More to the point,
offensive capabilities - he makes a scathing point that civilians only want to defend, but you can't win a war simply defending.
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Originally Posted by knivesout The story elements here really are very skimpy, and I think it's to Heinlein's credit that a book that, in substance, is little more than a sermon, is still kept so readable! |
I agree - it was a short but otherwise enjoyable read.
It's also good to see he was able to get away with a couple of chapters squared entirely at social commentary. I very firmly believe in books provoking thought, regardless as to whether a reader concludes in agreement or not.
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Originally Posted by knivesout Heinlein also displays intellectual dishonesty in making this a war against inhuman bugs - thereby simplifying the issue of how to think about war to a simple 'us or them'. |
That is a very good point, and to be honest, it was one of the pivotal issues I saw in the film. While some people saw nothing more than a violent SF flick, the use of symbolism was very rich and clever.
However, in dealing visually with some of Heinlein's concepts, it made Starship Troopers very much an anti-war film. I guess this is a key beef of the Heinlein reader film critics - that it did not preserve the observer experience that Heinlein was aiming for in support the military.
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Originally Posted by knivesout It's worth comparing the last chapters of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in this respect. But, for Heinlein's views to have any power, we cannot afford to do what Card did and attempt to examine and understand our enemies. |
Now that is a very good point - it would be very interesting to find out whether any aspect of Ender's Game was set in response or even tribute of Heinlein.