Monday 20 March 2023

A Hellenic Milieu, B.C.E.

I keep referring to the contents of Poul Anderson's novel, Genesis, but the references will be incomprehensible to anyone who is unfamiliar with the novel. 

Conscious artificial intelligences, continually remaking themselves, have spread through and even beyond the galaxy while humanity has become extinct on Earth. One post-organic intelligence, designated "Gaia" merely for narrative purposes, is based on a mountain in the Arctican continent from where she studies Terrestrial evolution. Gaia creates internal virtual realities of past and alternative histories. These virtualities are called "emulations," not "simulations," because they are populated by conscious analogues of individual human beings.

Among Gaia's emulations, one Hellenic milieu began about 500 B.C.E. and has progressed through many generations. When Laurinda asks that she and Christian be inserted into this emulation at an epitome moment, she is informed that:

"'An extreme possibility occurs in a year corresponding to your 894 B.C.E...'"
-PART TWO, VII, 4, p. 177.

I detect a contradiction. If the emulation began about 500 B.C.E., then it cannot contain an 894 B.C.E.

Addendum: Important. See combox.

6 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I checked my hard bound, first edition (Feb. 2000) copy of GENESIS at this part of the book, and the date is there given as 894 C.E. (i.e., AD 894). Plainly, you found a misprint in your copy.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

No, I didn't. I misread it. This has happened before. I have to check and correct what I have written about dates or numbers.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Got it, you merely misread the text. But I think we have both sometimes found misprints in Anderson's works.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

We have but I am concerned about my ability to misread even when I am trying to ensure that I do not.

Paul.

S.M. Stirling said...

Paul: I do the same thing with left/right and east/west -- always have. I have to double-check any scene I write for errors in that, and my betareaders always catch some anyway!

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Similar things have happened to me as well--when I forget to type in words I wanted to include with combox remarks. Or while writing one of my guest articles. I have to painstakingly review them to make sure I've mostly written them the way I want them.

Ad astra! Sean