An ethic is simply a system of survival," Velusi said. "What does an ethic mean when there is no chance of survival? - Michael Moorcock

The captain seemed mad. Perhaps he did not enjoy his trade. Many soldiers did not, when real warfare developed.

Here information and philosophies were exchanged, together with all manner of goods. This was a court whose energies were not devoted to maintaining itself unchanged for eternity, but to every kind of new idea and lively, humane discussion, which welcomed fresh thought not as a threat to its existence but as a very necessity to its continued well-being, whose wealth was devoted to experiment in the arts and sciences, to supporting those who were needy, to aiding thinkers and scholars. The Bright Empire’s brightness would come no longer from the glow of putrefaction but from the light of reason and good will.

The sentient may perceive and love the universe, but the universe cannot perceive and love the sentient.