Warhammer 40,000: The Ethics of the Imperium
This post will be a bit different from my first two in that it is not an exploration of who or what in terms of facts, but an inspection of ethical dilemmas faced by the Imperium. Those familiar with the Universe of 40k know that dozens of novels can be written (and have) on this topic, and it is impossible for me to do anything but scratch the surface in this post. Likely this will be one of more “Ethics of the Imperium” posts to come, and as such this post will be a little shorter than those past.
The Value of Human Life: Unless you are a Planetary Governor, high ranking Imperial bureaucrat, or hold a position or job that makes you difficult to replace, your life will not be missed. Mankind’s population is estimated in the “Countless Trillions” The birthrate is so high that they literally cannot count them all, nor do they care to. Even in a single hive city, one life is insignificant when compared to the hundreds of billions of Imperial citizens residing there. Conditions of these Mega Cities are deplorable for your average pleb citizen, and one can explore many problems facing the Imperium as a whole by analyzing the average Hive City
Meaningless Cogs: In these cities the working citizen lives in the Lower Hive. A dark industrial and residential complex where you can expect to have a solid 12–14 hour shift in whatever factory you make your wage at. Best to keep clear of the upper class and be thankful to The Emperor that you do not live in the Under Hive.
Direct parallels are to the conditions of life in our Industrial revolution. Specifically drawing visions of smog filled city streets with workers walking in the early morning to earn their bare subsistence wage. The difference being there are no labor laws to speak of. Often the only reason why whole populations of Lower Hives are not forcibly worked to death is that city rulers and factory managers want to keep their workers productive for as much of their life as possible, and this requires some modicum of rest and free time.
Overpopulation: How could such absurd populations remain fed? The easiest answer is to recycle and not be picky. Soylens Viridians is one common hive ration, A bland but otherwise filling and somewhat nutritious vat-grown foodstuff. It is also known as “Corpse-Starch” as it is rumored to be made from human corpses, mixed with random dead animals, plants, and other sources of dead bio matter typically disposed of in hive cities. While not known for fact it is highly likely that these hive rations are supplemented with some form of cannibalism perhaps not even done out of necessity but simply to make disposal of the waste that is deceased humans a bit easier.
For the Good of the Imperium: To the city nobles and those who may be privy to the more grisly details of hive city survival, the productivity of its citizenry is vastly more important than their happiness. This is similar to perhaps the core ethical dilemma of the Imperium. The Imperium of man, specifically the Imperial administrators such as leaders of The Inquisition, The High Lords of Terra, etc. do not care for the quality of Imperial life, simply its perpetuation.
It is this attitude that justifies events such as full planetary exterminatus, whereby whole planets with billions of citizens my be destroyed to prevent the spread of a xenos or chaos threat. After all, what is one planet to an empire of a million worlds. Exterminatus is not a desirable result but will likely be recorded simply as great shame to have to lose a planets worth of production. The unfortunate truth is that the Imperium is trapped in a war of attrition on all fronts and such unimaginable slaughter does likely prevent many more human deaths.
It is the apathy towards human life that is the true shame of the Imperium. Thousands of years of war has created a people who know little more than a dark and fearful existence. Even the wealthy planetary lords live among constant political scheming that often results in their death. On all levels life is a struggle for survival and maybe a bearable existence. Few have the time or opportunity to care about the individual life. In the Imperium of Man there is a distinct lack of humanity in its leadership, and the lower and under hive citizen must focus on their own survival. Perhaps the one of the only places you can find such sentiment is in a place you would not expect: The Imperial Guard. In this band of brothers and sisters you can find individuals who truly trust one another and work for each others good. Something that is rare in the grim darkness of the 41st millennium. Even this is not a pleasant existence as it is their job to fight back the horrors of the galaxy as grunt soldiers, but most every guardsmen would rather die fighting for The Emperor and home than die in an under hive alley.
