First, one short story by Anderson ends with the devastating revelation that, although members of an alien species have immortal souls, human beings do not. I have some questions here. If primitives thought that an electric torch was indwelt by a spirit and then learned about electrons, would they come to regard the torch as useless? No. If we come to believe that human consciousness is entirely dependent on electrochemical processes in a living brain and that the consciousness ends when those processes cease, do we then regard consciousness as valueless? No.
In fact - second Anderson passage -, Dominic Flandry's perceptive if ruthless opponent, Aycharaych, thinks that it is consciousness of mortality that inspires human creativity.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
THE GODS LAUGHED is one of my favorite collections of Anderson's stories. Because of how fond I am of at least seven of the nine stories in that book.
"The Martyr" is that story where we see the devastating revelation of human beings not having immortal souls. The aliens in that story, from mercy, tried to prevent mankind from finding out that stunning fact. I would list "The Martyr" among those Anderson stories with unexpected, even shocking endings. Others being WORLD WITHOUT STARS, "Welcome," and "Eutopia" (perhaps I should include as well THE NIGHT FACE?).
You already know I don't believe my consciousness, my self awareness, my "me" is a mere byproduct of electro-chemical reactions, so I don't need to again belabor that point.
And, of course you know from my article about "Night Piece" how I consider that tale to be one of the toughest and most difficult to understand stories by Anderson. And I meant that as a compliment, not a criticism, because that story shows us Anderson striving to go beyond his "comfort zone," to try out new and difficult ideas and techniques.
And I'm fond of "Peek! I See You!" for several reasons. The story probably gives us Anderson's view of UFOology. It's a funny, gently and kindly satirical story. He shows us UFO believers who are intelligent and by no means foolish. And I like the ingenious means found by the view point character to forcing visiting aliens to reveal themselves to the human race at large. One point I recall is that a certain VERY small number of UFO stories cannot be dismissed as due to fraud, error, misunderstanding, etc.
"Captive Of The Centaurianess" is one of the dozen or so stories Anderson wrote for PLANET STORIES. I like the sardonic way Anderson INVERTED the stereotypes PLANET was fond of. And that story has many very clever and amusing plot twists!
And "The Word To Space" touches on what happen after the SETI project discovers and receives communications from another race. Hint: we might not like what the aliens talk about! "Word" is also where we again see Anderson treating religion and Christianity with respect. And the Fr. Moriarty seen there was descended from a certain very infamous villain and opponent of a Great Detective.
I agree with what Aycharaych said in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS that awareness of how short one's life is has helped to drive many creative geniuses to their achievements, I was reminded of another comment by the Chereionite master spy. In Chapter II of WE CLAIM THESE STARS, after Dominic Flandry had commented that even in Terra's decline, some humans were still "sentimental" enough to fight and struggle to hold off the Fall of the Empire, Aycharaych said: "That is the human mentality again,... Your instincts are such that you never accept dying. You personally, underneath everything, do you not feel death is just a little bit vulgar, not quite a gentleman?" Flandry conceded that was possible and asked Aycharaych what he thought of death. The Chereionite responded by calling it "A completion."
A surprising amount of philosophy and even theology can be inferred from this bit quoted from WE CLAIM THESE STARS! First, the human reaction to death can easily be seen as stemming from the Fall of mankind, of how it was not the proper fate of mankind desired by God. As Wisdom 2.23-24 says: "For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it."
And Aycharaych's comment about seeing death as "A completion" makes me wonder what HE believed. Did he believe his soul would survive bodily death? And, if so, would that "completion" means he would be DOING things in the after life?
Sean
Sean,
Aycharaych refers to "immortal God" but we don't know whether he meant this literally. He was talking to a Terrestrial, Flandry, and would know which buttons to press.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Certainly! Someone who had studied and telepathically PROBED mankind as thoroughly as Aycharaych must have done would know which buttons to push in his interlocutions with humans. But I'm not absolutely sure all his statements were meant to merely sow doubt and uncertainty--I think there were times when Aycharaych spoke sincerely as a philosopher.
You alluded to what Aycharaych said to Dominic Flandry in Chapter XVII of WE CLAIM THESE STARS. First, he told Flandry he would be taking steps to reverse the catastrophe the Terran had inflicted on Merseia at the planet Vixen, including discovering the co-ordinates for the sun of Ardazir. BUT, "The philosopher awoke. Flandry could all but see Aycharaych's ruddy eyes film over with a vision of some infinitude humans had never grasp. "It is not certain. The totality of existence will always elude us; and in that mystery lies the very meaning. How I pity immortal God!"
If we take seriously what Aycharaych said here then he was saying no one, not even him, could not understand or know all of what exists in the cosmos. Which certainly seems presumptuous of him to think of achieving. And that daring line "How I pity immortal God!" might affront even a skeptic like Flandry, who would be more inclined to think, that if God existed, He was logically beyond needing anyone's compassion. In fact I have to think that notions of pitying God comes close to blasphemy or at least presumption.
Sean
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