Philosophy

For all her faults, the title character of Poul Anderson's Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003) is a philosopher.

(i) She starts to gather knowledge merely as military intelligence but then comes to value it for its own sake:

"She drank of the knowledge - the whole wonderful world - as thirstily as heroes in Valhall drank the ale of the Aesir. It was not to gain power; it was for its own sake, her mind flying free." (p. 384)

(ii) She learns enough from witchcraft and clairvoyance to realise how little she knows:

"...to him those gods were as meaningful as she could wish hers were to her - if only she knew what hers were." (p. 444)

(Socrates, the first European analytic philosopher, was the wisest man in Greece because he was the only one who knew that he knew nothing.)

(iii) She expresses this insight:

" 'Angels or Aesir...I wonder if they don't wage their war not in the sky, but in our souls.' " (p. 444)

- to which her companion replies:

" 'It's useless for us on earth to ask, I'd say.' " (p. 444)

It is good and right to ask even if the answers are difficult.