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Originally Posted by Eomer of the Rohirrim
Don't you think there's also the, slightly uncomfortable, notion of Gandalf believing Faramir was worth more than 'normal' men?
Gandalf knew Faramir; he didn't know the nameless soldiers. Gandalf knew that Faramir was a brilliant man; he could only suppose that the nameless soldiers were good men though, equally, he probably supposed that they were not as special as Faramir.
It's a classic moral dilemma. I'm not going to judge on it (yet  ) but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Gandalf's decision was to do with judging the lives of some as lesser or greater than others. |
The dilemma is not moral, really. Gandalf was not sent to Middle-earth to save anyone - he willingly sacrificed the lives of thousands of men.
Why? He was doing his service to Eru - he was doing his dharma.
I see a parallel between this and the tale of Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita - Arjuna is told by Krishna that he must do selfless service in the name of God, guided by Compassion - yet Krishna is telling him this as he prepares to slaughter his enemies in an epic battle.
It was for
his own benefit that he led the characters of tLotR into battle - yet he acted solely out of Compassion.
I see this as frankly trans-moral. His impetus was Divine Purpose, and it does not matter at all to the story that his victory over Sauron was at the expense of the lives of characters in a musical composition.