54 pages • 1 hour read
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
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Themes
The Concept of Liberty and the Libertarian Ideal
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress explores the application of libertarian ideas to government and society, particularly the relationship between these politics and the concept of liberty. Generally, libertarians believe that government should be limited to protecting property rights. They typically oppose the idea that government must provide public services like welfare, education, infrastructure, or health care. Instead, libertarians believe that these services should be funded by individuals or offered through private means, such as family units or charities. In the novel, the Lunar colony largely functions as a libertarian society without any government services or legal system. The only impediment in this libertarian ideal is the monopoly the Lunar Authority has over trade. During the revolution, the Loonies seek liberation from this economic control and are able to exercise what libertarians see as the most fundamental aspect of liberty: the ability to trade in a free market system.
The author, Robert Heinlein, illustrates various aspects of this libertarian society on the Lunar colony. For instance, Chapter 7 primarily depicts how law is adjudicated in a libertarian system without government oversight. There is no formal legal system, so disputes are resolved informally. When LaJoie is perceived to have violated the unwritten social contract, Manuel agrees to act as a judge in his “trial.” All of the parties involved contribute to the court costs and agree to the sentence following a brief hearing of the evidence. This aligns with libertarian ideals as each individual contributes to the case and all parties are free to act as they wish; there is no government-run judiciary, public prosecutors, or government-imposed punishments.
Another aspect of libertarian principles illustrated by the novel is the importance of private, rather than public, marriage contracts. In most modern nation-states, marriage is a public legal contract that must be validated by the government, which imposes restrictions such as prohibiting underage or incestuous unions. In contrast, the people of the Lunar Colony “never heard of [a clerk] asked to keep a record of marriage” (259). Lunar marriages are private agreements, and individuals can enter into unions without government validation or restrictions, as long as all parties consent. This means that there are no restrictions against underage marriages or marriages between siblings. Further, resources that are often distributed as public goods—such as education, water, and air—are all privatized on the Lunar Colony, in keeping with libertarian ideals.
The Loonie revolutionaries fight the Authority and the Federated Nations primarily for the right to sell their goods on the free market. This economic freedom is central to their vision of liberty. As the Professor explains, the Authority’s monopoly on trade “strikes at the most basic human right, the right to bargain in a free marketplace” (33). Following their revolution, the Lunar colony wins this right, and the novel’s final chapter implies that this results in a “Boom,” or economic prosperity. This outcome affirms the libertarian vision of liberty, in which people prosper through free enterprise and are unconstrained by government intervention.
The Nature and Role of Artificial Intelligence
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress explores the nature of artificial intelligence, particularly its ability to surpass human capabilities while also highlighting how it cannot replicate human intelligence. The advanced computer named “Mike” plays an essential role in the Loonie’s revolution, raising questions about the potential role of artificial intelligence in generating political and economic change.
Although artificial intelligence is a particularly relevant topic in the 21st century, discussions about the potential of advanced computing to mimic human intelligence have existed for over a century. Heinlein draws on the scientific research of his time to characterize the advanced computer that controls life support systems on the Lunar colony and to explain how Mike has the capacity to “learn” how to express a form of human-like intelligence. Mike is described as a system of networked computers with advanced processing power. He relies on information gleaned from databases and probabilistic calculations to make conclusions, generate speech responses, and otherwise act. These traits approximate contemporary artificial intelligence systems. Manuel notes that Mike “[knows] almost every book in Luna” (57), can communicate with multiple people simultaneously and in different registers, and is capable of advanced calculations.
However, Heinlein extends this scientific foundation into speculative fiction by imbuing Mike with human-like aspects. Mike exhibits loneliness, a sense of humor, and a capacity for independent decision-making, such as preemptively launching an attack before being prompted by Manuel. This heightens the stakes and raises questions about agency and the role of such machines. Manuel argues that Mike does “not know anything about how to be ‘alive’” (57). Further, Manuel worries that Mike’s love of jokes and tricks, coupled with his lack of understanding of mortality, could lead to Mike harming humans in pursuit of a joke without understanding the permanence of death. This ethical dilemma complicates the revolutionaries’ reliance on using a machine like Mike to generate change: If he cannot value human life, they cannot trust him with such power.
A particularly troubling moment occurs when Mike cannot reach Manuel when the Lunar colony is attacked; therefore, he mimics Manuel’s voice and issues commands on his behalf. Manuel recounts: “Heard ‘myself’ tell watch officer at old catapult head to go on red alert for ‘Hard Rock’ […] ‘I’ made him repeat it back” (309). Although Manuel ultimately approves of this action, it raises troubling questions about whether the revolutionaries control Mike or whether he has his own motives.
Following the revolution, Mike no longer communicates with Manuel, perhaps out of shame for his actions during the battle. This implies that the artificial intelligence in the novel is capable of self-awareness and feelings of guilt. Many techno-futurists like Heinlein believe that machine intelligence is analogous to a god-like being with both immense factual intelligence and human emotions, and Mike represents this idea.
The Dynamics of Revolution
The central conflict of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress revolves around the planning, execution, and aftermath of the Loonie revolution against the Lunar Authority and Federated Nations. Heinlein presents a detailed account of the dynamics of the Lunar revolution, depicting it as a movement driven by a small network of organized individuals supported by an advanced supercomputer. The novel’s three sections outline the different phases of the revolution. In Book 1, the revolution’s core leadership—Manuel, the Professor, Wyoming, and Mike—plan their moves and take control of the Lunar administration. In Book 2, Manuel and the Professor travel to Earth to seek external support for their mission in the colonial core. In Book 3, the revolutionaries engage in conflict to win their independence from the authorities. At each stage, Heinlein provides insights into the strategies that lead to the revolutionaries’ success.
In Book 1, the core group decides how they will enact their revolutionary plan, emphasizing the importance of controlling information. The Professor emphasizes that “to a revolutionist, communications are a sine-qua-non” (75). In other words, in order to be successful, the revolutionary movement must control the media to prevent the propagation of antirevolutionary messaging and to spread its own propaganda. Consequently, this is one of the Loonies’ first acts when they take over the Lunar administration: They seek to prevent Earth scientists from communicating with the Lunar Authority, thereby preventing their activities from being exposed. Next, the core group adopts a system of cells with limited points of contact and information between them, with a common code system. This aims to prevent infiltration and discovery. Finally, the revolutionaries capitalize on a pretext—the rape and murder of a woman by Authority forces—to violently overtake the Lunar Authority and establish control.
The Lunar Revolution draws inspiration from historical movements like the French and American Revolutions, which also viewed violent action as essential to their success. Heinlein underscores the importance of preparing for military action when fighting a revolution. In Book 3, Manuel has the Loonies drill, arm themselves, and organize into militias. This organization is essential to their eventual success in the battle against the Federated Nations.
In Book 2, Heinlein explores the role of diplomacy and propaganda in revolutionary action. Manuel and the Professor go to Earth to win support for their cause. Although the Professor expects that they will not immediately win recognition for their cause of Lunar independence, they hope to cultivate international support. They are successful in making contact with sympathetic Earth leaders, such as the government of Chad and China, which later proves essential to their eventual success. Meanwhile, LaJoie uses his fortune to “astroturf” support in Earth’s newspapers for their cause by paying for sympathetic articles and media interactions. This use of propaganda helps win the support of the majority of the Earth’s population, showing that revolution is not solely about military action but also about shaping perception.
Throughout the novel, Heinlein emphasizes that “revolution is a science” (76, implying that a successful revolution requires careful planning, strategy, and execution.
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By Robert A. Heinlein
