Dagny Beynac, over a hundred, founded and heads the Council for Lunar Commonalty which has become the most influential organization on the Moon despite not being recognized by any of the Terrestrial nations or by the World Federation, the Lunar Authority or the Selenarchs.
Earlier, she was the Tycho region delegate to the Coordinating Committee. See The Moon And The Federation, here. Before that, she worked in Fireball administration. See Power On The Moon, here. She has also been Mayor of Tychopolis. See Mother And Son, here. And, additionally, she is the mother of some powerful Selenarchs as well as the granddaughter of the founder of Fireball.
Poul Anderson presents the idea of someone who has been around so long and has held so many important positions, both formal and informal, that she remains a power in the land into her high old age and for a long time afterward. The final refinement is downloading of the personality.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I can see it being possible, given medical advances, for people to live well over a hundred. And, in the HARVEST books unmodified humans are said to be able to live till about age 130 (with Lunarians living somewhat longer, till about 140-50). But downloading of human personalities into artificial neural networks is something I remain EXTREMELY skeptical about!
Sean
Sean,
There are two questions here. Since neural systems or networks already exist naturally inside brains, can such networks be constructed artificially? No reason why not in principle as far as I can see. Secondly, would it be possible to download a human personality into such a network? Much more difficult if even possible.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, in principle, with the first possibility. But I am still VERY skeptical about the second. And you do concede that it would be very difficult, even IF possible.
Sean
Paul and Sean:
What strikes me is that anyone sane should WANT to prevent this downloading. "We've had to be under her thumb all our lives, and now some idiots want to make it so she'll be effectively immortal?!" Really, her download is a computer file I'd want to make sure was erased as soon as possible. Which would make me a murderer.
Well, as webcomic artist Rich Burlew said, "...you can’t make an omelette without ruthlessly crushing dozens of eggs beneath your steel boot and then publicly disemboweling the chickens that laid them as a warning to others."
Kaor, DAVID!
Strikingly and amusingly put! Yes, I can see disadvantages if the downloading of human personalities into artificial neural networks DID become possible.
Your comments about the domineering lady you mentioned reminded of Lalia Clayhanger, a hobbit woman in Tolkien's Middle Earth mythos. She was the wife of Thain Fortinbras II (died SR 1378) and was notorious for clutching at power, thrusting aside her own son Thain Ferumbras III. She was called, probably sarcastically, Lalia the Great.
Sean
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