Mass Effect - Genophage thought experiment

[Dormin111]

There is a fascinating conflict in the Mass Effect series which concerns numerous philosophical concepts, including: just war, interspecies rights, the rights of primitive cultures, nature vs. nurture, collateral damage, and biological warfare. I'll give as brief a summary as I possibly can of the conflict, though if people need clarifications or expansions, I can provide them.

 

Key Players and Terms:

 

·        Turians – Human-like alien species with advanced conventional military technology. Used the Genophage on the Krogans.

·        Krogans – Uncivilized alien species with extreme physical fitness but no interstellar technology. Subject to the Genophage.

·        Rachni – Intelligent insect alien species. Fought Turians and defeated by Krogan.

·        Genophage - Biological agent manufactured by the Salarians which alters the genetic code of Krogan. Renders 99.9% of Krogan females infertile. 

 

 

Short Summary:

 

In the Mass Effect universe, numerous alien species have interstellar technologies and are capable of colonizing unoccupied planets. Two such alien species, the civilized Turians and the insectoid Rachni come into conflict over land disputes. Despite their conventional military prowess, the Turians rapidly lose the war. Their fortunes turn after offering to grant modern technology to an uncivilized, but intelligent species known as the Krogan, in exchange for military assistance. The Krogan are extremely physically strong and make mighty warriors. Prior to recieving technology from the Turians, they spent much of their existence fighting each other and their planets fauna in brutal tribal warfare. With advanced technology, they are able to defeat the Rachni.

 

After the Rachni war, the Krogan become members of the galactic community. However, with their normal biological constraints lifted by new technology, they reproduce at an enormously fast rate and quickly overpopulate their home planet. After a brief period of peaceful foreign colonization, the Krogan declare war on the Turians and attempt to expand onto their planets via genocidal means. The Turians technological edge can't match the Krogan's strength and numbers, so they resort to deploying the genophage.

 

The genophage permanently renders 99.9% of current and future female Krogans infertile. Under peaceful conditions, this should have lead to a flat population growth, but due to internal war, Krogan numbers continue to decline after the war. The few remaining fertile females became prized commodities in Krogan society and tribes reformed around warlords who could caputre fertile females and mate with them. The Krogan, though crippled by internal fighting and population decay, became embittered and obsessed with avenging the Turians. At the start of the Mass Effect games, it is assumed the Krogans will die out in a few generations.

 

 

 

Issues:

 

- How can we deal with alien species which possess rationality, but differ in other ways biologically? Could these biological differences make peaceful coexistence possible? Is the Krogan's reproductive and aggressive nature incompatible with peaceful coexistence?

 

- Were the Turians morally justified in using uncivilized Krogan soldiers in a conflict they didn't understand? Under what circumstances is it proper to give uncivilized people advanced technology?

 

- Were the Turians morally justified in using the genophage? Is it morally permissible to harm innocent bystanders in current and future generations over a present conflict?

 

- If a cure for the genophage were discovered, what would be rational terms and conditions for using the the genophage cure on the Krogan population.

[New Buddha]

How can we deal with alien species ....

 You do realize that you have little to no influence over the behavior of the 7.2 billion people on this planet, right?

 

Shouldn't this be edited to:

 

"How can I deal with alien species...."

 

Edit:  In fair disclosure, I really hate Bioware games.

Edited January 13, 2015 by New Buddha