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A Case of Conscience
by James Blish
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Del Rey (1979-03-12)
ISBN: 0345280237
EAN: 9780345280237
Mass Market Paperback
Release Date: 1979-03-12
SKU: 6803
Condition: Good
Comments: Binding: Softcover. Condition: Good. Creased corner.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
The sin of reason...
Father Ruiz-Sanchez was a dedicated man--a priest who was also a scientist, and a scientist who was also a human being. He found no insoluble conflicts in his beliefs or his ethics until he was sent to Lithia. There he came upon a race of aliens--reptilian in form--who were admirable in every way except for their total reliance on cold reason; they were incapable of faith and belief.
On Lithia, Father Ruiz-Sanchez also found a scientific riddle, and he was presented with an ethical problem that reached across two worlds!
Father Ruiz-Sanchez was then torn in a struggle between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity., There was only one solution. He had to accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy--and in accepting that heresy, he risked the futures of both worlds!
HUGO AWARD WINNER!
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Amazon.com Review
The citizens of the planet Lithia are some of the most ethical sentient beings Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez has ever encountered. True, they have no literature, no fine arts, and don't understand the concept of recreation, but neither do they understand the concepts of greed, envy, lust, or any of the sins and vices that plague humankind. Their world seems darned near perfect. And that is just what disturbs the good Father. First published in 1959, James Blish's Hugo Award-winning A Case of Conscience is science fiction at its very best: a fast-paced, intelligent story that offers plenty of action while at the same time explores complex questions of values and ethics. In this case, Blish has taken on the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Lithia poses a theological question that lies at the heart of this book: is God necessary for a moral society? The Lithians are nothing if not moral. Not only do they lack the seven deadly sins, they also lack original sin. And without any sort of religious framework, they have created the Christian ideal world, one that humans would be eager to study and emulate. But is it too perfect? Is it in fact, as Father Ruiz-Sanchez suspects, the work of The Adversary? And what role does Egtverchi, the young Lithian raised on Earth, play? Is he an innocent victim of circumstance, or will he bring about the Dies Irae, the day of the wrath of God, upon the earth? The fate of two worlds hinges on the answers to these questions, and will lead to an ancient earth heresy that shakes the Jesuit priest's beliefs to their very core. A Case of Conscience is a brilliant piece of storytelling, and it packs a lot into a scant 242 pages. Most readers will probably finish the book in one sitting, unable to stop until the spectacular denouement. But the questions posed by this little-known gem will stay with you for days afterward. --P.M. Atterberry
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Customer Reviews
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A Theological Science Fiction Novel
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-05-01
19 out of 20 customers found this reveiw helpful
Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez is stationed on the planet Lithia as a biologist. Lithia is inhabited by perfectly rational and good natured reptile like creatures. They are peaceful and unselfish but they have no concept of God or faith and have no literature or art. Even though he admires the Lithians he does not feel comfortable with the situation, something is wrong. It does not make sense to Father Sanchez that creatures that have no concept of God are still perfectly ethical. Could they possibly be the creation of Satan? Then again, does Satan create anything?
One day the earth commission discovers something truly disturbing, something cruel and horrific related to Lithian child rearing. The Lithians maybe rational, they may not be "sinners", and they may not be driven by greed or lust of any kind, but they are still not ethical in a human sense. Father Sanchez wants to protect Earth from contact with Lithia (and vice versa) and as the turbulent story unfolds it turns out that his intuition is on target.
The focus of the book is the theological and philosophical consequences that arise from the comparison of the two worlds. Father Ramon Ruiz-Sanchez is a good hearted religious man with a sharp mind. It is through his thoughts, doubts and theological tribulations that we experience this amazing story.
It does not matter whether you are a Christian, theist, atheist, or agnostic; your belief system will be challenged and most disturbingly your ethical value system will be challenged. Could it be that the Lithians are rational and lack the emotions that typically lead to "sin", but also lack a conscience (like a sociopath)? Or do they have a different ethical system but without a God? In the end I found the book to be sympathetic towards the Catholic belief system.
James Blish wrote many other good novels, for example, Cities in Flight,The Day After Judgement, and Black Easter. Between 1967 and his death in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek Star Trek 1 (Vintage Bantam, F3459).
A side note: Many years ago I read a good book by James Blish which I have not been able to find since then. The book followed a similar concept to the Planet of the Apes except the Apes were birds. I would be grateful if someone who knows anything about this book is willing to leave a helpful comment.
This item has now been identified Midsummer century. Thank you Kasey for your help!
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I found it knee-jerk righteous
Rating  (1)
Date: 2007-11-24
2 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
I was so bugged by this book. I love books that challenge my thinking and take what I think I know and turn it on it's head, so if this had been an exploration and a challenging take on religion and science and what happens to beliefs faced with reality that challenges those beliefs, I would have been intrigued. But the main character is faced with a world that challenges his belief system - and decides the world is wrong. No discussion, no real thinking about it. He agonizes over what to do about it, but never faces the question, "Hmm - I wonder if it is possible to be moral without a God. What if my beliefs are wrong?" It was just annoying and boring to be subjected to the false "moral dilema" over and over. If the author intended this to raise questions in the reader about belief, he played it too straight for me. The only question it raised for me was "Why did he waste one of the most intriguing alien societies I've seen on this?"
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Thought provoking
Rating  (4)
Date: 2007-09-02
In the year 2049 Father Ruiz-Sanchez is part of a four member commission from Earth on the planet Lithia, trying to determine what level of contact Earth should have with Lithia. Lithia is inhabited by a reptilian race of highly intelligent, logical and almost emotionless beings. They live in harmony with themselves and their environment. It seems an almost perfect society. One member of the commission is very impressed with Lithian society and is eager to establish full relations at once. Another member is contemptuous and hopes to exploit the planet for Earth's benefit.
But Father Sanchez although profoundly sympathetic with the Lithians, feels they are very dangerous and all contact with Lithia should cease immediately. He feels that, because the Lithians are a near-perfect society, yet have no knowledge of God, that they must be a creation of Satan, tempting mankind to embrace atheism. Described in brief this way it sounds kind of unreasonable , but Blish presents Father Sanchez's case convincingly.
`A Case of Conscience' is a very deep, thought provoking book. Deftly combining hard science, religion and philosophy into a tale that asks profound questions of the ways in which biology and religion play in ordering a society. However in order to make the points Blish is trying to make, the plot requires Earth to have a fairly dystopic society, and unfortunately I found the premise and nature of Earth society in 2049 very unlikely. It is an almost fatal flaw in an otherwise compelling book.
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Excellent Novella
Rating (4)
Date: 2007-08-11
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This could have been a thinly-veiled moral dilemma, a question from a philosophy text with a little window dressing. However, Blish is an exceptional writer. The characters, setting, and, most of all, the language he uses to pose this problem are all wonderfully rendered. I choose not to comment on the aspect of this book that seems to have so many people's panties in a tremendous twist, the theology. It's a very well-written book, and it's limited thematic scope makes it well suited to the novella; the one question posed would have been stretched a little thin over the course of a full-length novel. I definitely plan on reading more Blish.
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religion and science work together
Rating (4)
Date: 2006-08-08
3 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
What I like about this book is that you have a protagonist who is a priest but at the same time a hard scientist, a biologist to be exact. In his small team of scientists he sometimes explains to them how he can be both at the same time. I think its great that we get to see inside the mind of a protagonist who can be both priest and scientist. I personally liked it because even though I've been raised in a religious family I am also scientific-minded. It's great to see a protagonist that's like me.
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