The Ethical Way

"The Ethical Way" by Joseph Farrell is a mid-20th century science fiction novella, which tells the story of galactic colonists whose mission to save Earth's survivors becomes a morally ambiguous act of enslavement. Jarth Rolan and Lan Barda rescue humans, like Laurent Crotier and his family, from an irradiated Earth, only to bring them into a society where they are forced into servitude. The narrative explores the stark contrast between the colonist’s perceived benevolence and the humans’ lived experience of oppression, raising profound questions about exploitation, power dynamics, and the true meaning of ethics when filtered through the lens of interstellar relations, creating a stark perspective of the idea of an "ethical decision."