Ordinary Orthians

Poul Anderson, The Byworlder, VIII.

According to Skip, the average Orthian is anomic, anxious and alone and also logical but crazy. Compared with the sea gypsies, he is:

"...more hard-driving, well informed, thoroughly trained, including in the new mental disciplines which could evoke effective genius from ordinary cerebral endowment..." (p. 80)

Slow down. Those "mental disciplines":

would be of interest to the Psychotechnic Institute of Anderson's first future history series;

seem to duplicate the effect of the Change in his Brain Wave;

should therefore be extremely disruptive of Ortho (orthodox) society;

but should also offer at least the potential for solutions to social problems and conflicts.

The Chinese would be unable to hold their population in an ideological stasis if any members of that population had access to disciplines enabling them to analyze and dispel all the propaganda.