The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

“You are right that the Authority must go. It is ridiculous—pestilential, not to be borne—that we should be ruled by an irresponsible dictator in all our essential economy! It strikes at the most basic human right, the right to bargain in a free marketplace. But I respectfully suggest that you erred in saying that we should sell wheat to Terra—or rice, or any food—at any price. We must not export food!”

The Professor argues that the Authority must be abolished because it infringes on the Loonies’ liberty. His argument highlights a paradox at the heart of his “rational anarchist” political ideology: He states that it is a “human right” to “bargain in a free marketplace” while simultaneously arguing for a trade embargo, which would necessarily infringe on a free market. Later, the Professor justifies this and other paradoxes in his beliefs by stating he feels it is necessary to do whatever it takes for the Loonies to win their independence from the Authority. His ideas develop The Concept of Liberty and the Libertarian Ideal.

“‘Wyoh, you look like slot-machine sheila waiting for action.’

‘Why, you drecklich choom! Do I look like slot-machine prices? Tourist!’

‘Don’t jump salty, beautiful. Name a gift. Then speak my name. If it’s bread-and honey, I own a hive.’

‘Uh—’ She fisted me solidly in ribs, grinned. ‘I was flying, cobber. If I ever bundle with you—not likely—we won’t speak to the bee.’”

This snippet of dialogue between Manuel and Wyoming illustrates the unique syntax and lexicon used by the people of the Lunar Colony. The meanings of the unfamiliar terms they use can be deciphered using context clues and lateral thinking. For instance, a “slot-machine sheila” is a sex worker; “Sheila” is Australian slang for “woman” and “slot-machine” is a euphemistic term for someone who is penetrated sexually (like inserting a coin into a slot). Based on other examples in the text, “choom” is a disparaging term, like “jerk,” and “cobber” means “friend” or “mate.” “Bundle” means “have sex.” This dialogue illustrates how Wyoming’s sexual desirability and promiscuity is of particular interest to Manuel and, therefore, to the narrative as a whole.

“I tried to explain. How Mike knew almost every book in Luna, could read at least a thousand times as fast as we could and never forget anything unless he chose to erase, how he could reason with perfect logic, or make shrewd guesses from insufficient data…and yet not know anything about how to be ‘alive.’”

Manuel reflects on The Nature and Role of Artificial Intelligence. Although Manuel feels as if Mike has emotions and self-awareness, he recognizes that Mike, as an inanimate object, does not truly understand “how to be ‘alive’.” This foreshadows the dramatic tension in the text when Manuel worries that Mike’s inability to understand life will lead to Mike harming people in pursuit of a joke or prank.

“Every new member made it that much more likely that you would be betrayed. Wyoming dear lady, revolutions are not won by enlisting the masses. Revolution is a science only a few are competent to practice. It depends on correct organization and, above all, on communications. Then, at the proper moment in history, they strike. Correctly organized and properly timed it is a bloodless coup. Done clumsily or prematurely and the result is civil war, mob violence, purges, terror.”

The Professor acts as the intellectual heart of the novel who most clearly articulates the political and historical ideas the work promotes. Here, the Professor states Robert Heinlein’s views on The Dynamics of Revolution and outlines how this understanding of revolution will be illustrated in the narrative itself. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress as a whole posits that it is possible to pursue a revolutionary action while avoiding the pitfalls of historical revolutions like the infamous violence and terror of the French Revolution.

“A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as ‘state’ and ‘society’ and ‘government’ have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of 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 beings singly 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…aware that his effort will be less than perfect yet undismayed by self-knowledge of self-failure.”

Once again, the Professor articulates the political ideologies that animate The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. In this quote, he describes the form of libertarianism, dubbed “rational anarchism,” that is promoted throughout the work. Anarchism is a belief system that advocates for a limited government; this belief overlaps with libertarian ideology. The Professor, like most libertarians, holds the view that there should be no such thing as society or government services. This is a view echoed by arch-conservatives like Margaret Thatcher, who famously said: “There is no such thing [as society]! There are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first” (“Interview for Woman’s Own.” Margaret Thatcher Foundation).

“For thirteen and a half minutes was no sound, while Wyoh chewed knuckles. Never known Mike to take so long. Must have consulted every book he ever read and worn edges off random numbers. Was beginning to believe that he had been overloaded and either burnt out something or gone into cybernetic breakdown that requires computer equivalent of lobotomy to stop oscillations.

Finally he spoke. ‘Manuel my friend, I am terribly sorry!’

‘What’s trouble, Mike?’

‘I have tried and tried, checked and checked. There is but one chance in seven of winning!’”

This is a moment of tension and anticipation as the would-be revolutionaries await Mike’s calculations of their probability of success. This is communicated by Wyoming’s nervous action of “chew[ing] knuckles” along with a tense wait so long that Manuel begins to wonder if Mike has “been overloaded.” Ultimately, Mike calculates their chance at success at just one in seven. While this may seem low, most revolutions fail, so Manuel, the Professor, and Wyoming celebrate this conclusion as good news. Over the course of the novel, the odds of their success shift based on actions the revolutionaries take. This form of probabilistic calculation reflects how machine intelligence “reasons” or sorts through possible responses.

“Well…we’re Loonies. Loonies bet. Hell, we have to! They shipped us up and bet us we couldn’t stay alive. We fooled ’em. We’ll fool ’em again!”

In this rallying cry, Manuel celebrates the strength, resilience, and intelligence of those who live in the Lunar Colony, pitting them against the residents of Earth who mistreated and underestimated them. The casual diction of Manuel’s dialogue illustrates his working-class background and “common touch” that makes him an ideal revolutionary leader. This contrasts with the Professor’s more academic language.

“A revolutionist must keep his mind free of worry or the pressure becomes intolerable.”

The Professor uses the term “revolutionist” instead of “revolutionary.” This is a telling choice. “Revolutionist” is an older term used by Anglo-Irish political theorist Edmund Burke (1729-1797) in his pamphlet Reflections on the French Revolution (1790). The essay, a foundational text of modern conservative political theory, argues that the French Revolution failed because its goals were too abstract. The Professor seems to have taken this lesson to heart in advocating for the Loonie revolutionary movement to focus on the concrete, material needs of the people (i.e. the need to secure the food supply).

“I think every Loonie dreams of the day when we will be free. All but some poor spineless rats. I’ve never talked about it; there seemed to be no point and it’s necessary to look up, not down, lift one’s burden and go ahead. But I thank dear Bog that I have been permitted to live to see the time come, if indeed it has.”

This dialogue from Mimi, one of Manuel’s wives, provides insight into how the average Loonie resident feels about the oppression of the Authority and their hopes for revolution. Her feeling that it is something she has long desired but had felt there was “no point” in attempting to fix is reflective of how most average people feel under repressive regimes. She “thank[s] dear Bog” that Manuel has decided it is time for revolutionary action and is eager to contribute. “Bog” is Loonie slang for “God.”

“Like old Chinee saying that ‘Fish aren’t aware of water,’ I was not aware of any of this until I first went to Terra and even then did not realize what a blank spot was in Loonies under storage location marked ‘patriotism’ until I took part in effort to stir them up.”

One of the critical elements of The Dynamics of Revolution explored in the text is the need to create a sense of community and patriotism amongst the colonized populace. This is challenging because many of the Lunar colonists were sent to the Moon against their will from various places on Earth. In this quote, Manuel describes this human response using language from software, characterizing their lack of patriotic sentiment as a “blank spot” in their “storage location.” This kind of software-related language is common in Loonie slang and reflects their technologically advanced society.

“You’re our Scarlet Pimpernel, our John Galt, our Swamp Fox, our man of mystery. You go everywhere, know everything, slip in and out of town without passport. You’re always there, yet nobody catches sight of you.”

In this quote, Manuel comforts Mike by comparing him to a variety of figures who used pseudonyms and obscurity to advance their causes. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a novel by Baroness Orczy about the French Revolution; the eponymous Scarlet Pimpernel is a secretive protagonist who uses the nom de guerre to save French aristocrats. John Galt is the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged whose identity is obscured throughout the work. Swamp Fox is the nom de guerre of Francis Marion, who used guerilla warfare during the American Revolution. Like these figures, Mike uses pseudonyms and subterfuge to support the Loonie revolutionaries.

“I used to question Mike’s endless reading of fiction, wondering what notions he was getting. But turned out he got a better feeling for human life from stories than he had been able to gamer from facts; fiction gave him a gestalt of life, one taken for granted by a human; he lives it. Besides this ‘humanizing’ effect, Mike’s substitute for experience, he got ideas from ‘not-true data’ as he called fiction.”

Manuel reflects on The Nature and Role of Artificial Intelligence. It can be read as the author, Robert Heinlein, justifying the importance of fiction by stating that it can help even machines understand the “gestalt [unified whole] of life.” Essentially, it argues that pure nonfiction scientific writing cannot express the complexity of humanity in the same way that fiction, like that written by Heinlein himself, can.

“When Mike started writing poetry I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to publish it! Shows how thoroughly humanity had corrupted this innocent machine that he should wish to see his name in print.”

The metatextual meaning of this excerpt is humorous. Within the work, Manuel is lamenting how Mike has been “corrupted” for wanting to publish his writing. However, this quote can also be read as the author, Robert Heinlein, poking fun at himself for his self-promotion and desire to have his works published.

“‘Oh, “tanstaafl.” Means “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” And isn’t,’ I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, ‘or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in long run or turns out worthless.’

‘An interesting philosophy.’

‘Not philosophy, fact. One way or other, what you get, you pay for.’”

Manuel explains to Stuart René LaJoie the concept of “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch,” which characterizes the libertarianism that shapes life on the Lunar colony. He insists it is not a “philosophy,” or ideology, but rather a “fact,” suggesting that this ideology has been so deeply normalized within Lunar society that it is seen as common sense rather than as part of a comprehensive belief system.

“So a wave of patriotism swept over our new nation and unified it.

Isn’t that what histories say? Oh, brother!

My dinkum word, preparing a revolution isn’t as much huhu as having won it.”

This quote expresses an ironic reflection on the difference between history as it is written and the experience of the people living through moments in history. Mainstream, patriotic histories often sanitize and simplify what occurred. In his “memoir,” Manuel counters this narrative by emphasizing that the trouble/difficulty (“huhu”) of a revolutionary movement is not in winning battles but rather in governing after the victory.

“They put message across, their version and in detail. First we heard was demand from Authority to Warden to deny this hoax, find hoaxer, put stop to it.

So instead we gave them a Declaration of Independence.

‘In Congress assembled, July Fourth, Twenty-Seventy-Six—’

Was beautiful.”

This quote reflects the moment that the Loonies issue their Declaration of Independence. In keeping with their use of American Revolutionary symbolism, their declaration begins in roughly the same way as the American Declaration of Independence, which opens with “In Congress, July 4, 1776.” Manuel’s enthusiasm for this moment reflects the feelings of optimism and hope that accompanied the historical American declaration of independence. This parallel highlights that like the American revolutionaries, the Lunar revolutionaries are also seeking freedom from a colonial power that suppresses their economic freedom.

“Free hospitals—aren’t any in Luna. Medical insurance—we have that but apparently not what you mean by it. If a person wants insurance, he goes to a bookie and works out a bet. You can hedge anything, for a price. I don’t hedge my health, I’m healthy. Or was till I came here. We have a public library, one Carnegie Foundation started with a few book films. It gets along by charging fees. Public roads. I suppose that would be our tubes. But they are no more free than air is free. Sorry, you have free air here, don’t you? I mean our tubes were built by companies who put up money and are downright nasty about expecting it back and then some.”

Manuel describes the libertarian lifestyle of the Lunar colony to the press on Earth. It illustrates The Concept of Liberty and the Libertarian Ideal: There are no public services on the Moon; everything is either paid for by individuals or provided by private charities and companies. Indeed, every road on the Lunar colony is effectively a toll road. Manuel actively advocates for this model of governance (or lack thereof), showing that his experience of living in such a society is wholly positive.

“‘We shall fight them on the surface, we shall fight them in the tubes, we shall fight them in the corridors! If die we must, we shall die free!’

‘Yes! Ja-da.’ ‘Tell ’em, tell ’em!’

‘And if we die, let history write: This was Luna’s finest hour!

Give us liberty…or give us death!’”

The Professor delivers a rousing speech to the Loonies upon his return to the colony. It is a mix of partially adapted lines from famous speeches. The first line is a riff from Winston Churchill’s report to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, about fighting the Nazis. Churchill said: “We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, […] we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills […].” “If die we must, we shall die free” is a riff on Coleridge’s translation of Odysseus’s line from Euripides’s play Cyclops. (The original line is “if die we must, we will die a noble death.”) The third line is taken from another Winston Churchill speech that ends “This was their finest hour.” The final line is a slight modification of American revolutionary Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia Assembly on March 23, 1775. Manuel acknowledges this liberal borrowing from existing speeches by drolly noting, “Some of that sounded familiar” (283).

“‘Heard explosive pressure drop. What’s situation?’

‘That’s level three, L-City. Rupture at Tube Station West, now partly controlled. Six ships landed, L-City under attack—’”

This is the moment in the narrative when the Lunar colony is attacked by Federated Nations troops. Manuel immediately reaches out to Mike to learn more about the situation. It is a moment of tension as Manuel springs into action to respond to the attack. They use Loonie pidgin to abbreviate their words, such as referring to Lunar City as “L-City,” highlighting the urgency of the moment.

“‘A maximum of instructive shrecklichkeit with minimum loss of life. None, if possible—’ was how Prof summed up doctrine for Operation Hard Rock and was way Mike and I carried it out.”

Manuel summarizes the revolutionaries’ military tactic. The term shrecklichkeit (usually spelled schrecklichkeit) means “dreadfulness” or “frightfulness” in German, and it is used by English speakers to describe the war crimes and terror inflicted by the German army against civilians during World War I. Its evocation here suggests that the Loonie revolutionaries are cognizant of the terror caused by using military tactics against civilian populations in order to accomplish their goals, even though they hope to minimize “loss of life.”

“‘A bull’s-eye. No interception. All my shots are bull’s-eyes, Man; I told you they would be—and this is fun. I’d like to do it every day. It’s a word I never had a referent for before.’

‘What word, Mike?’

‘Orgasm. That’s what it is when they all light up. Now I know.’

That sobered me.”

In this exchange of dialogue, Manuel and Mike discuss the outcome of their first ballistic attack against Earth. Mike describes the feeling of seeing its bombs hit their targets as being like an “orgasm.” This is indicative of how, over the course of the novel, Mike takes on more human qualities, including negative ones like a propensity for violence. It suggests that machine intelligence can easily turn homicidal if not carefully controlled.

“But our next news at new site was from Earthside: that brassy F.N. frequency claimed that our catapult had been destroyed (true) and that Lunar menace was ended (false) and called on all Loonies to take prisoner their false leaders and surrender themselves to mercy of Federated Nations (nonexistent—‘mercy,’ that is).”

Throughout the novel, the media is manipulated by both the revolutionaries and the Federated Nations. This quote illustrates the argument made by the Professor at the beginning of the work about the control of communications and media being essential to revolutionary movements. As shown here, the media does not outright lie but rather conflates truth and falsehood to present a convincing narrative.

“‘Today— Oh, happy day! At last the world acknowledges Luna’s sovereignty. Free! You have won your freedom—’

Prof stopped—looked surprised. Not afraid, but puzzled. Swayed slightly. Then he did die.”

Shockingly, the Professor dies during the celebration of the Loonies’ independence from the Lunar Authority. This is representative of how the Professor is a Moses-like prophet who has led his people to freedom and dies upon seeing the Promised Land.