Red Rising and Philosophy has gathered together a crew of the wisest Helldivers philosophy can offer. Could humanity's love of physical enhancements cause its extinction? Do people doom humanity by trying to all be the same? Can a person love someone, while at the same time wanting that person destroyed? Is equality always the best principle on which to organize society? What is evil, and how does it exist in contemporary life? Does one remain the same person, even after changing every physical aspect of one's body? Is it moral to sell oneself into slavery, whether it’s through sex or manual labor? Is it ethical to sell one's children into slavery, on the promise that their children will live in peace and tranquility? These questions and more are what make Brown’s Red Rising trilogy such an impactful story. Brown pulls no punches, and philosophy works best in such an environment. Red Rising and Philosophy is not for the timid or the faint at heart. It’s not The Passage, since no one will die from reading it, but reading it could be a life-changing experience.
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I am addicted to the Pop Culture and Philosophy series. I like how contemplating the philosophical implications of a book, series, movie or television show can extend my interaction with and enjoyment of the underlying material. Often the articles in these books provide insights that I may have missed. Also, with respect to science fiction, it is a truism that the quality of a science fiction idea is its ability to be given a philosophical treatment.
I approached this book in reverse order to the way I normally approach the Pop Culture and Philosophy series. I was totally unacquainted with the Red Rising book before I purchased and started reading this book. The articles in this book that looked at the issue of whether Darrow remained the same individual during his transformation or discussed the implications of a culture organized around occupation-based “colors” seemed interesting. So, I purchased the first book as an audiobook and a digital book and I found it to be a fun, pulpy, page-turner.
This book was fairly typical of the Pop Culture and Philosophy brand. The articles are written by a collection of professors of philosophy. The part I always turn to first, I confess, is the jokey biographies in the appendix. Invariably, these books will have an article that explores the different kinds of ethics and there will be a reference to Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
A couple of articles deserve mention. In one article, Tim Jones has an article that explores the references to evolution in the series and the significance of evolution for the series. Jones' article makes a compelling case that the frequent appeals in Red Rising to the idea that their society is justified by further evolution are entirely mistaken because the Golds are actually placing the brakes on evolution by forcing development into their ordained vision. Another article that uses Red Rising as a springboard is Robert Arp's article on “Guns don't kill Colors - Colors kill Colors.” Arp is a rarity among scholars; he is a gun rights advocate. Arp offers a discussion of the right of self-defense and the principle of double effects.
The virtue of these books is that the reader can painlessly get an introduction to philosophical concepts in an interesting and memorable format.
