Ethics and Autonomy in Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Word for World is Forest

Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Word for World Is Forest (1972) offers a sustained critique of imperialist doctrine and the American war in Vietnam. It also raises important questions about soldierly autonomy and personal responsibility in action. Drawing on the work of philosopher Jacques Derrida, this paper examines modern-day interpretations of autonomy in a military setting, including the emerging field of drone theory. Given that the novella’s antagonist Don Davidson is accused of “irresponsible autonomy” for the way he mistreats the natives of Athshe, this paper asks: is Davidson really irresponsible, or is he rather an alibi for insufficient state control?