I think I am with Peterdjones on this: I don't see how this can be called morality -- it's certainly a set of values, sfik-seeking is certainly something that motivates Kifs, and which they prefer to do; but to call it "morality" in the sense that humans recognize the word is no better than calling it "lust" (though it contains no sex) or "love" (though it contains no element of caring for others).

That it's in their brains and motivates them isn't enough to call it "morality" meaningfully. For it to be called "morality" meaningfully it has to motivate them in roughly the same manner that human morality motivates humans. Baby-eaters and Superhappies were motivated by morality, even if they were vastly different moralities. I don't see anything in the Kifs that could be called morality.

I am not convinced that Kif morality is coherent. Looking at it game-theoretically:

There is a set of actions (A) that run a non-infinitessimal risk of infinite loss, ie anything that has a risk of losing ones life.

There is a set of actions (B) that have a non-infintiessimal chance of finite gain.

There is set of inactions that (C) that maintain an equilibrium.

Game theoretically, a Kif should avoid A, and avoid B if it entails A to any. Because losses are infinite and gains finite, it makes no sense to endanger ones life for any putative gain. (Because of the infinity in A, the relative likelihoods of loss and gain don't matter). Kif should either avoid each other, or adopt pacifism (both versions of C). (Kif in fact have much more motivation to be pacifistic than humans). Kif Pacifism if is clearly not C J Cherryh's intention.

The key to whole arguent is the "infinite". Perhaps the "Infinite" is an exageration, or perhaps C J Cherryh is one of those people who thinks infinity is a large finite number. The intended results would follow in that case. Infinity is game changing.

I have sometimes talked in terms of objective morality, because it seems truer than subjective morality. But morality is not really objective because it will vary with biology, and is of no use to sticks or stones. It is truer still to say that it is intersubjective. Humans are not going to adopt Kif morality because humans are not Kif.

My first thought on reading this is that a group of Kifish with human morality would eventually rule the world, if not actually wipe out the originals. (My second is "wait, this just a formalization of the standard Evil Bully Race", isn't it?" And my third is "how do they tell how much sfik others have for the purposes of killing them/ taking their stuff?)

I'm using a kind fo functional role analysis: the role of morality is to regulate the behaviour of each individual to account for the preferences of others. That isn't an intuition in the sense of "men kissing - yeuch!"