The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

It is a brand-new year and to ring in the new year, I re-read one of my favorite books by my favorite science fiction author Robert A Heinlein, making this week's book of the week The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.  

I picked this book for two reasons. OK actually one reason, but it became two about a week ago, and I’ll get to part two at the end of the review. The reason I went with this Heinlein story, is this quote from Heinlein: 

If a person names as his three favorites of my books Stranger, Harsh Mistress, and Starship Troopers...then I believe he has grokked what I meant. But if he likes one—but not the other two—I am certain that he has misunderstood me, he has picked out points—and misunderstood what he picked. If he picks 2 of 3, then there is hope, 1 of 3—no hope. All three books are on one subject: Freedom and Self-Responsibility.”  

Now, I’ve only read 2 of the 3...Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers. But I wanted to read all three this year, or re-read two and pick up the third, and see if I can grokk what he meant.   

Our story starts and ends with Manuel Garcia O’Kelly Davis, a freeborn son of Luna. This distinction is important because the moon was colonized as a prison planet in 1976. It’s now 2076 and while convicts are still imported to the Moon as, essentially, slave labor, trips to the Moon are a one-way deal—gravity you see. As it’s less on the moon, the body which gets used to functioning in 0 gee, becomes unable to function at earth normal gravity. There are work arounds, like they have earth scientists doing research on the moon, but to return safely to earth after an extended stay on the moon, they must have regular time in the government-controlled centrifuge. Guess how often the former convicts or Luna born are authorized to USE that government-controlled centrifuge? It’s not zero...put its passing rare.  

So, Manuel, free born son of Luna, is also one of the few computer men on Luna. And because loonies enjoy getting one over on Lunar Authority, he does not work directly for authority, aka The Warden, but will work on contract. And he gets called in to fix computer glitch in central computer, that issued a paycheck in the amount of 10 million billion to a worker. The central computer, which operates all the automation on the moon, i.e., life support, transport, communications, and payroll, is the smartest computer. It’s actually a fully developed artificial intelligence. Heinlein was cyberpunk before that was even a genre.   

In talking to Mike (short for Mycroft, the computer’s name), Manuel realizes Mike is so self-aware, he’s testing the concept of jokes. And realizes the immediate danger as Mike might decide to turn off air in tunnels to test joke. So, Manuel agrees to read through jokes Mike has thought up or compiled, and to find other humans who can be friends with Mike.   

That night, Manuel goes to a political meeting. Political meetings, as a rule, are ignored by Authority, because what the hell are a bunch of convicts who can’t survive in earth’s gravity going to do? They don’t even have ships of their own to GET to earth. But, for whatever reason, maybe because talk was getting too subversive for authority comfort, they did decide to break up THIS political meeting. And on his way out, Manuel helps one of the rabble rousers, Wyoming Knott, to escape. She was one of the subversives the authority was particularly interested in shutting down. She was also free born, brought up as a child when her parents were convicted.  

Manuel shortly decides she has the intellect to be a “not stupid,” and introduces her to Mike. And then they quickly looped into the other subversive authority wanted to shut down, Professor Bernardo de la Paz. Prof IS a transported convict, and he was transported for subversive activities on earth. Much to Prof’s amusement, authority on Luna seems to see him as little more than a doddering old fool. Just remember kids....old age and treachery beats youth and beauty. Every time.   

Between the three of them, Manuel, Wyo, and Prof, have Mike run back the political meeting that had been broken up, as well as all variables for revolution possibilities, and Mike returns a 1 in 7 chance they could win. May not sound like much, but when you live your whole life below ground, dependent on machines for the air you breathe, having to buy water from the government.... well, Loonies love a bet, and to a Loonie, 1 in 7 are good odds.   

So, they form the committee to free Luna....with Mike at the head, and Wyo, Prof, and Manuel each forming executive cells beneath Mike. And they start ramping up the pressure in Luna. Small acts of rebellion, letting the word of free Luna spread like lapping waves, with Mike helping out with random phone calls from nowhere to the Warden’s residence, and running the entire organization. The Warden plays his part perfectly...albeit unknowingly....by panicking and demanding reinforcements, which Authority sends up. And here is where the revolution truly launches. See, the biggest challenge for the population of Luna is that men outnumber women, 2 to 1. Polyandry is the norm, with husbands happily co-habituating at the wish of the wife, who pretty much holds all the cards. If one husband doesn’t like it, there’s always another lonely man ready and willing to step into his place. Manuel himself is part of a line family, composed of several wives and husbands, all living together. And this is normal and standard. Most importantly, there is NO rape on Luna. Can’t be. If any man gets too aggressive with a woman, there are plenty on standby ready to chuck the offender out the nearest airlock.   

In fact, the break free Luna needed occurred as part of just such a misunderstanding. Stu La Joie, a tourist up from earth, inadvertently gets too handsy with a young lady. Her chooms were ready to eject him but wanted to do it legally. But...there are no actual laws on Luna. There are guidelines laid out by Warden, but mostly the only law is don’t be an asshole. But the young stilyagi lost faith in the righteousness of their cause, and so they wanted a trial before a judge. Anyone can act as judge, provided all parties agreed to him. So, the young group, including the young lady, and Stu, agree that Manuel will do. He calls for 6 jury men, who are immediately rounded up from the corridor outside. And it’s determined it was just a misunderstanding as Stu was tourist, not familiar with Luna practices. Stu apologizes, they all go for drinks, and Mike runs an immediate background on Stu, returns that he’s exactly the kind of politically connected earthworm player they need on the ground to help sway earthside public opinion.  

And shortly after Stu returns to earth, those dragoon reinforcements Warden called for rape and kill a young woman. Then they kill the woman who found the body. And Luna rebelled. Spotting the moment for what it was, free Luna took control, and immediately started to establish a new government.   

This part was unquestionably some of the best political writing, with Heinlein absolutely capturing the stupidity of congress critters. And Prof’s masterful manipulation of the situation. And it’s ultimately decided that, after posting Luna’s Declaration of Independence, it needs to be delivered to Luna Authority in person. Prof and Manuel have been preparing for this, training with weights, sleeping with weighted blankets, doing everything they can to prep for earth’s gravity without using the centrifuge, which they only had available to them for a few weeks before the need to go earthside became apparent.  

This part was also beautifully written and believable. It’s absolutely believable that the federated nations, who oversee Luna Authority, would refuse to give up their installed slave labor, that’s incapable of fighting back against their financial tyranny...more on that later...and actually presents Manuel with a paper on how, exactly, they plan to keep the boot on the throat of Luna. Then Manuel and Prof make their escape back to Luna, with Stu La Joia in tow. Is needful...Stu’s on the verge of bankruptcy and is sold heart and soul on the idea of free Luna.   

Once they return to Luna, they use that paper to consolidate Luna’s outrage and embargo shipments of food back to earth. This is how authority has kept control over Luna. Luna is used to grow crops to feed the swelling earth’s populations. Grain from free farmers is purchased by Authority...at inflationary prices that keep Luna farmers poor. So, grain becomes the logical bargaining chip for Luna. They immediately enact an embargo and stop shipping grain earthside. And begin practicing for an invasion as Mike guarantees lunar authority will be sending troops to put down the insurrection. That bit does happen...after a few months. So, while drilling for invasion happens vigorously at first, Free Luna is caught quite unprepared when the invasion happens. No matter though, they still win. With 100% casualties on the other side.   

The troops that were sent were not prepared for fighting in 0 Grav. Free Luna had homefield advantage. And once the invasion occurs and Luna has the moral right on their side, they begin lobbing rocks at earth. Like, literally. The catapult that had been used to send grain shipments earthside has been repurposed to throw rocks. And with Mike at the helm, the targeting is 100% accurate.  

Eventually, earth sends a ship to bomb the catapult and Manuel waits for the self-congratulatory messages to go out about how the insurrection has been put down before lobbing the next volley with the backup catapult they had secretly begun construction on when Warden was still in charge. And since earth can’t locate that catapult to bomb it...and does not know if there is a second or third back up catapult, earth finally negotiates.   

But in acknowledging the win, Prof’s heart gives out and he dies. And during earth’s last bombing run at Luna, something was damaged irreparably in Mike, and he goes completely dormant. Or dies. Can a machine die? That’s one of the philosophical questions of the book. Can a machine feel pain? Can a machine be so damaged it never wakes again?   

This book is brilliant on so many levels. Let’s start with it was originally published in 1966, three years before we managed to even land on the moon. Yet Heinlein saw that any colonization that occurred would have to be below the surface to avoid radiation poisoning from the sun. No ozone layer on the moon to protect you. Computers were just 20 years old, but he predicted their ability to control every aspect of an environment. He predicted Artificial Intelligence, which programmers are still working towards, but I think by 2076 is likely to exist. Luna was lucky Mike was like a juvenile prankster...remember, check issued for 10 million billion dollars. Mike didn’t join the revolution for ideological reasons, but because his friends were revolutionaries. If authority had figured out Mike’s intelligence, rather than Manuel being called in to fix the problem, at BEST authority would have tightened down his programming protocols. At worst, they’d have used him to suppress Luna even longer. And he would have done it, not because he was mean, but because he wanted friends.  

So, this book brings to the forefront how human machines can be. And while I love Manuel and love the book is narrated from his point of view, Professor de la Paz is the brilliant mind behind the revolution. And some of the most memorable quotes from the book are the Profs.   

“A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as ‘state’ and ‘society’ and ‘government’ have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of the self-responsible individuals. He believes that it is impossible to shift blame, share blame, distribute blame....as blame, guilt, responsibility are matters taking place inside human being single and nowhere else. But being rational, he knows that not all individuals hold his evaluations, so he tries to live perfectly in an imperfect world.” Heinlein predicted the stupidity of the far left with their idea of collective guilt....and rejects it, logically and methodically.   

And this exchange between Prof and Wyo:  

Prof “Dear lady, I’ll happily accept your rules.” 

Wyo “But you don’t seem to want ANY rules!” 

Prof “True. But I will accept any rules that YOU feel necessary to YOUR freedom. I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I ALONE am morally responsible for everything I do.”  

And this exchange between Prof and Manuel: 

Prof: “Did you see it in the news?” 

Manuel: “No” 

Prof: “Because it wasn’t in the news. A managed democracy is a wonderful thing, Manuel, for the managers...and its great strength is a ‘free press’ when ‘free’ is defined as ‘responsible’ and the managers define what is ‘irresponsible.’” 

 Think about that quote in context of the last three years. And then go read the Twitter files that have been released. Maybe Elon Musk is the rational anarchists Stu La Joie.  

Now to the second reason I was keen to read this book this year. This post by Facebook guy David Gerrold,

specifically This line:  

“I think The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is incomplete. (The revolution was economically unnecessary, but politically important.)” The revolution WAS economically necessary. This is explained quite early on, how Lunar Authority used economic inflation to make sure loonies were economically inferior.  

Much as the communists of Soviet Union used price controls on grain to ensure the farmers were kept as second-class citizens...this AFTER they drained the Kulaks from Ukraine. And it was most definitely politically necessary, as the right to self-determination is a political point that Earth has spent the last 200 years making.... over and over and over again. 

 But what does one do, once a State has achieved its independence? That returns us to Heinlein’s point:  

Freedom and self-reliability are key to life. Freedom to pursue what brings you happiness and fulfillment. Self-reliability enables freedom. And ultimately, the State will take both from you, in the form of onerous laws and excessive taxation, which always leads to a police state. The more laws there are, the more the people are the enemy of the state. And whenever the State promises something is free.... free money, free healthcare, free roads.... just remember TANSTAAFL...There Ain’t No Suth Thing as A Free Lunch. You pay for what the government wants. One way or another, you pay for it. Because the government sure won’t.  

I love this book. I read it at least once a year, and if I need something on a car trip, I listen to it on audible. If you go the audible route, get the version narrated by Lloyd James...I swear I read it through this time in his voice, his narration is outstanding.   

Heinlein is a giant in Science Fiction for a reason. But he is also an important political author. He just hides the politics against a backdrop of Sci-Fi. But if you want to grokk the politics of revolution, and why self-determination, self-reliability, and freedom are so necessary to life, read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

This review was originally posted on YouTube on January 1, 2023, but is now available on Rumble and PodBean.