Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is one of the few times my entire extended family is able to come together in one place at one time. I consider the welter of conversation and laughter that accompanies our Thanksgivings one of the greatest blessings in my life. That is why I feel like this reflection allows a powerful opportunity to reflect on our recent blog discussion- where does an event like Thanksgiving fit into the Heinlein Theory of survival?
If humans are no different than the lowest forms of life in that we are fundamentally motivated by survival, then where do all the elements that most define humanity fit in? Why do we have the ability to appreciate food, music and other forms of beauty; why is it that humans most cherish memories that deal the most with our own pleasure, rather than those which teach us lessons? Thanksgiving Day and all the satisfaction accompanies it is incongruous with Heinlein philosophy.
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Yeah, that theory of Heinlein's is full of crap. Thanksgiving is a perfect example of the complication and beauty that completely debunks his theory of survival. However, in Starship Troopers, he contradicts himself with the characters' point of view. Juan Rico goes through the book moving from person to person, interacting with each explicitly. Juan's dependence on others at point contradicts the Heinlein theory of survival as well.
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