In Poul Anderson's Time Patrol story, "Ivory, And Apes, And Peacocks," the director of Jerusalem Base, Epsilon Korten, responsible for time travel in the Hebrew lands in the period between the birth of David and the fall of Judah, has to be "...both a man of action and a scholar of profundity." (Time Patrolman, p. 89)
Before his recruitment to the Patrol, Korten's scholarship was displayed by "...his computer analyses of early Semitic texts..." (pp. 89-90) whereas his credentials as a man of action were established by "...his exploits as a spaceman in the Second Asteroid War..." (p. 90) Thus, his scholarship and his naval activity were not related as theory and practice. In fact, they were not related.
In Anderson's Technic History novel, The Day Of Their Return, Chunderban Desai negotiates with the Merseians after the Jihannath crisis, then becomes High Commissioner of the Virgilian System in the aftermath of the McCormac Rebellion. In A Knight Of Ghosts And Shadows, we learn that Desai is a scholar of the rise and fall of human civilizations. Thus, historical theory guides diplomatic practice which tests historical theory.
Korten, serving the Time Patrol, deals with time travelers passing through the periods of David and the kingdom of Judah whereas Desai, serving the Terran Empire, deals with space travelers passing through the Virgilian System.
See here for speculation about a Temporal Empire.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember seeing that statue of Cromwell from my visits to the UK! And one thing I noticed was how carefully the statue was tucked away in a not too prominent location BEHIND a steel fence and stone wall. I naturally concluded many Britons still so loathed Cromwell that measures were taken to protect the statue from vandalism.
Ad astra! Sean
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