Sf readers encounter the Latin word for "hunter" in the names of a constellation and of a Poul Anderson character:
"No need to explain that [Venator] meant "hunter" in a language forgotten by all but the great database." (p. 73)
The world population should not have become completely ignorant of Latin. Do they know nothing of Roman civilization, its language or literature? Or that Latin survived as a learned language long after the fall of the Empire, continued for even longer to be used in science, law and Christian liturgy and was the basis of the Romance languages, including English/Anglo? They are not being educated properly and, apparently, not one of them is studying or researching properly either.
This alone shows that something is very wrong in the World Federation where, we are told, people feel obliged to invent meanings and identities for themselves.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly! Something is very wrong indeed if the cybercosm is subtly discouraging people from taking an interest in past history, such as the enormous history associated in so many ways with the Latin language. Is the cybercosm encouraging the human race to become so bored and frustrated that humans would prefer to let their species die out, become extinct? Which is what happened in GENESIS!
Sean
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