{"id":2812,"date":"2021-03-18T17:31:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T22:31:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lfs.org\/blog\/?p=2812"},"modified":"2024-05-10T20:35:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T01:35:41","slug":"the-right-of-self-defense-and-the-limits-to-tyranny-a-e-van-vogts-the-weapon-shops-of-isher-the-2005-prometheus-hall-of-fame-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/the-right-of-self-defense-and-the-limits-to-tyranny-a-e-van-vogts-the-weapon-shops-of-isher-the-2005-prometheus-hall-of-fame-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"The right of self-defense: A.E. Van Vogt\u2019s The Weapon Shops of Isher, the 2005 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s the Prometheus Blog Appreciation for A. E. van Vogt\u2019s The Weapon Shops of Isher,<\/em> the 2005 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner for Best Classic Fiction.<\/p>\n

By Michael Grossberg<\/a><\/p>\n

A. E. van Vogt, celebrated as one of the masters of science fiction’s Golden Age, is perhaps best known for The Weapon Shops of Isher.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Imaginative and ingenious, van Vogt\u2019s 1951 novel dramatizes the power of self-defense to sustain personal freedom.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the novel introduced one of the most famous political slogans in science fiction: The Right to Buy Weapons is the Right to Be Free.<\/p>\n

A classic and superior example of hard sf blended with sociopolitical SF during the early golden age of science fiction, the novel imagines a future dominated by a dictatorial Empire of Isher whose authority is \u00a0challenged by some mysterious Weapon shops.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First published in part in the July 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction\u00a0<\/em>magazine, the novel incorporates the first three parts of the saga about the weapon shops, a source of alternative opposition to authoritarian government,<\/p>\n

The plot is sparked by a hapless reporter caught up in swings from past to future as his doppelganger transports himself months into the past to make a fortune in the stock market after saving records of the market\u2019s prices.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As in many other van Vogt novels and stories, the plot is propulsive and twisty, with aspects of a puzzle piece and a surreal, dreamlike and prismatic quality that later inspired the dreamlike and fragmented stories of Philip K. Dick. Van Vogt is still read today because his works embody a strong \u201csense of wonder\u201d and ingenuity that helped popularize golden-age science fiction.
\n
\n\"\"<\/a>In this story, van Vogt imagines weapons developed through advanced technology that are only usable in self-defense against aggressors, but are not capable of murder. The weapons, in short, are in many ways a concrete embodiment in technology and hardware of ethical libertarian principles in action.<\/p>\n

As a reminder, libertarianism (a more consistent modern variant of classical liberalism) is based on the \u201clive and let live\u201d and \u201canything that\u2019s peaceful\u201d philosophy of respecting other people\u2019s rights while upholding the right of self-defense if one\u2019s own life and liberty are threatened by the initiation of force. Thus, a fully free society is one in which aggressive violence is both morally and legally prohibited, and people may only use force in self-defense. Wouldn’t it be nice, as van Vogt imagines, if advanced technology made that norm of a peaceful, cooperative and free society more common?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Written during the depths of Hitler\u2019s National Socialist aggressions during World War II, Van Vogt\u2019s Weapons Shop stories – which include\u00a0a sequel, The Weapon Makers –\u00a0<\/em>highlight perennial themes about the intrusiveness and dangers of government, whether State officials are well-meaning or power-grabbing ruthless tyrants.<\/p>\n

If van Vogt was so concerned about unchecked government power, then why was he reportedly sympathetic to monarchy as a form of government, as some of his critics allege? Certainly, libertarians don\u2019t share that view, which rightfully sparked some critical discussion during the peak of his career. SF writer editor Damon Knight hated van Vogt\u2019s writing style and apparent politics and pretty much destroyed his literary reputation in the 1950s, after first leading the charge against van Vogt in a 1945 essay expressing misgivings about his politics and nothing that many of van Vogt\u2019s stories presented monarchy favorably.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Yet,\u00a0the evidence for that claim seems thin in retrospect – such as van Vogt portraying his protagonist in a 1945 story \u201cHeir Apparent\u201d as a \u201cbenevolent dictator.\u201d Also, Knight later retracted some of his criticism, and many other prominent sf writers (from Dick to sf editor David Hartwell and other critics) have since disagreed strongly.<\/p>\n

In any case, shouldn\u2019t we respect the creative rights of fiction writers to exercise their imaginations and write about a variety of characters \u2013 without having critics assume that the writers \u201cagree with\u201d their characters\u2019 views or endorse the particulars of their imagined futures?<\/p>\n

(By the way, this is roughly the same fallacy that led some to misunderstand Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers <\/em>and falsely infer that Heinlein was some sort of “fascist” because he allegedly favored and found no fault with the particular social and legal order that he had envisioned in that novel exploring the grim realities of war and duty. Of course, in reality, Heinlein favored liberty and opposed fascism, socialism, national socialism and any other form of left- or right-wing authoritarianism.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall, the primary thrust of van Vogt\u2019s Weapon Shop<\/em> stories is appreciated by modern libertarians because they dramatize libertarian\/classical-liberal themes. The story highlights the dangers of unlimited majoritarian democracy, especially for minorities and individuals, and views weapons of self-defense as necessary to provide each citizen with the ability to resist aggression \u2013 by private criminals or public officials.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, van Vogt\u2019s novel makes an implicit case that the First Amendment and the other Bill of Rights cannot be sustained or defended without the Second Amendment, and that no government can completely oppress the People when the citizens are well-armed.<\/p>\n

Note: A.E. Van Vogt (1912-2000) was a Canadian-born sf author and one of the most popular and influential sf authors during science fictions\u2019 mid-2oth-century so-called Golden Age.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A.E. van Vogt in the early 1960s. (Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among his other popular novels: Slan, The Voyage of the Space Beagle <\/em>(whose stories are widely recognized as an unacknowledged source of inspiration for the classic sf-horror film Alien, <\/em>especially the story \u201cBlack Destroyer,\u201d and the TV series\u00a0Star Trek), The World of Null-A, The Changeling <\/em>and The Silkie<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Science Fiction Writers of America named van Vogt their 14th<\/sup>Grand Master in 1995.<\/p>\n

* Coming up soon on the Prometheus Blog:<\/strong>\u00a0writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd\u2019s graphic novel V for Vendetta,\u00a0<\/em>the 2006 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner for Best Classic Fiction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

* See related\u00a0 introductory essay<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 about the LFS\u2019 40th<\/sup>anniversary retrospective series of Appreciations of past Prometheus Awards winners, with an overview of the awards\u2019 four-decade history.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Prometheus winners:<\/strong>\u00a0For a full list of winners \u2013 for the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the recently updated and enhanced\u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 on the LFS website.<\/p>\n

* Read\u00a0\u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 an essay in the June 2020 issue of the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/em>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the modern genre.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Join us<\/strong>! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards,\u00a0join<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS), a non-profit volunteer association of libertarian sf\/fantasy fans and freedom-lovers.\u00a0Libertarian futurists believe cultural change is as vital as political change in achieving universal individual rights and a better world (perhaps eventually, worlds) for all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the Prometheus Blog Appreciation for A. E. van Vogt\u2019s The Weapon Shops of Isher, the 2005 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner for Best Classic Fiction. By Michael Grossberg A. E. van Vogt, celebrated as one of the masters of science fiction’s Golden Age, is perhaps best known for The Weapon Shops of Isher. Imaginative … Continue reading The right of self-defense: A.E. Van Vogt\u2019s The Weapon Shops of Isher, the 2005 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,2353,160,8],"tags":[952,1037,956,957,1038,752,955,958,954,953,1039,951],"class_list":["post-2812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appreciations","category-book-reviews","category-hall-of-fame","category-review","tag-a-e-van-vogt","tag-astounding-science-fiction","tag-damon-knight","tag-david-hartnell","tag-doppelganger","tag-golden-age","tag-heinlein","tag-philip-k-dick","tag-right-of-self-defense","tag-second-amendment","tag-the-right-to-be-free","tag-the-weapon-shops-of-isher"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-Jm","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2812"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7501,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812\/revisions\/7501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}