You’re right, Sixes seek individuality without amputating the Cylon bits of themselves of themselves in order to get it. Which, in the long term, is probably much healthier than total rejection. Caprica, for one, wants to create a synthesis of the good things in Cylon society and the good things in human society, which is very ambitious. But we need ambitious people around to blaze a trail when a course of action seems unimaginable.
Anyway, the various things you say above are a wonderful way of putting it (if I can get past my kneejerk defensiveness). I love the point you’re making, but I think one thing you haven’t really addressed (yet, anyway) is WHY the Sixes are this way. And I wonder how much the Cylon God and faith have to do with it.
The average Eight seems devout enough, but the individualized copies are less so. Boomer’s probably atheistic. Pre-activation she wasn’t very devout in the polytheistic system, and IF she now believes in the Cylon God, she probably hates his guts. No wonder she gets along with the Cavils.
Athena is calmly certain of God’s existence in Seasons 1 and 2, but in Season 3 onwards, God becomes pretty irrelevant to her except when she uses Caprica Six’s faith to manipulate her in Rapture. Bottom line, an Eight’s faith rests on a shaky foundation, and when a crisis hits, God is too distant to have much impact. They need someone closer to home, more tangible to follow and provide them with inspiration.
In contrast, the Sixes are defined and energized by faith. They believe passionately in this rather abstract concept. Even Gina continued believing in God (incidentally a loving, forgiving God), and if her experiences didn’t rock her faith, I doubt there’s much life could do to any Six that would turn her into an atheist. But Gina’s conception of God allowed her to kill hundreds of Cylons who wanted to live in Resurrection Ship and hundreds of humans who wanted to live in LDYB Part 2. Their belief system may be solid, but the beliefs can be scary-destructive.
I think you’re right that the Eights are less generous than the Sixes, but they’re also less destructive when they’re angry. Boomer participated in the Occupation on New Caprica but wasn’t the driving force. She also participated in Cavil’s extermination plan, but again, it doesn’t seem to have been her idea (just as Athena didn’t come up with the idea of genocide in AmoS, but went along anyway). It doesn’t make them blameless by any means, having stood by passively, but they’re not the pioneering type. Eights seem a lot easier to influence than Sixes. They get swept up in events, in other people’s crusades. Hardly surprising the majority of them went along with Natalie’s fervour, then freaked out later when the consequences became apparent.
They’re joiners rather than leaders, which could partially explain Athena’s desperation to be more human than the humans. Being secure in Helo’s love for her seems to have been a constant for years, but clearly romantic love and being part of a family unit isn’t enough. She needs a social circle, a sense of belonging in a group, rather than just to be part of a couple. That’s human, and not unhealthy on its face, but it doesn't work out so great longterm.
So it’s kind of a six of one, half a dozen of the other type situation. Sixes can accomplish great things (using “great” in a value-neutral sense), and drag their whole society along with them through willpower and belief. Eights have a smaller worldview, and are less likely to either kill or save others. Which, depending on whether or not you’re an obstacle to a Six’s grand plan, is either good or bad. At any rate, a Six is more likely to either kill you or save you deliberately. An Eight is more likely to just not intervene in someone else’s plan to kill you or save you. Which isn’t to say Eights are entirely passive, but they are reactive rather than pro-active. Sixes are always pro-active, far more rebellious and individualistic in their own way than Eights who break away but still just want to belong (they just switch their sense of identity to a new group).
even more thoughts, because this post keeps me thinking
Anyway, the various things you say above are a wonderful way of putting it (if I can get past my kneejerk defensiveness). I love the point you’re making, but I think one thing you haven’t really addressed (yet, anyway) is WHY the Sixes are this way. And I wonder how much the Cylon God and faith have to do with it.
The average Eight seems devout enough, but the individualized copies are less so. Boomer’s probably atheistic. Pre-activation she wasn’t very devout in the polytheistic system, and IF she now believes in the Cylon God, she probably hates his guts. No wonder she gets along with the Cavils.
Athena is calmly certain of God’s existence in Seasons 1 and 2, but in Season 3 onwards, God becomes pretty irrelevant to her except when she uses Caprica Six’s faith to manipulate her in Rapture. Bottom line, an Eight’s faith rests on a shaky foundation, and when a crisis hits, God is too distant to have much impact. They need someone closer to home, more tangible to follow and provide them with inspiration.
In contrast, the Sixes are defined and energized by faith. They believe passionately in this rather abstract concept. Even Gina continued believing in God (incidentally a loving, forgiving God), and if her experiences didn’t rock her faith, I doubt there’s much life could do to any Six that would turn her into an atheist. But Gina’s conception of God allowed her to kill hundreds of Cylons who wanted to live in Resurrection Ship and hundreds of humans who wanted to live in LDYB Part 2. Their belief system may be solid, but the beliefs can be scary-destructive.
I think you’re right that the Eights are less generous than the Sixes, but they’re also less destructive when they’re angry. Boomer participated in the Occupation on New Caprica but wasn’t the driving force. She also participated in Cavil’s extermination plan, but again, it doesn’t seem to have been her idea (just as Athena didn’t come up with the idea of genocide in AmoS, but went along anyway). It doesn’t make them blameless by any means, having stood by passively, but they’re not the pioneering type. Eights seem a lot easier to influence than Sixes. They get swept up in events, in other people’s crusades. Hardly surprising the majority of them went along with Natalie’s fervour, then freaked out later when the consequences became apparent.
They’re joiners rather than leaders, which could partially explain Athena’s desperation to be more human than the humans. Being secure in Helo’s love for her seems to have been a constant for years, but clearly romantic love and being part of a family unit isn’t enough. She needs a social circle, a sense of belonging in a group, rather than just to be part of a couple. That’s human, and not unhealthy on its face, but it doesn't work out so great longterm.
So it’s kind of a six of one, half a dozen of the other type situation. Sixes can accomplish great things (using “great” in a value-neutral sense), and drag their whole society along with them through willpower and belief. Eights have a smaller worldview, and are less likely to either kill or save others. Which, depending on whether or not you’re an obstacle to a Six’s grand plan, is either good or bad. At any rate, a Six is more likely to either kill you or save you deliberately. An Eight is more likely to just not intervene in someone else’s plan to kill you or save you. Which isn’t to say Eights are entirely passive, but they are reactive rather than pro-active. Sixes are always pro-active, far more rebellious and individualistic in their own way than Eights who break away but still just want to belong (they just switch their sense of identity to a new group).