The details of Terai's escape from the ship are unclear. The captain thinks that maybe he fell or jumped. (2, p. 320) However, it is hypothesized that maybe he lowered a lifeboat and rowed away. (2, p. 321) But surely the crew would know whether a lifeboat was missing? In any case, section 3 describes him swimming, coming ashore and surviving almost naked in what I would have thought were impossible conditions.
Over the page, CHAPTER NINETEEN at last begins to disclose the details of Orion and the plans, metals from the Moon and asteroids, energy from the Sun. Why is this not happening now? Will Earth become "'...a pastoral paradise'"? (p. 326) The prophetic Plik disagrees:
"'Only angels are fit for paradise.'" (ibid.)
But the Orion director retorts, "'What're men fit for, then?'" (ibid.)
I share the director's optimism. Men can become angels.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
As for why we are still not doing some of the things listed in Chapter Nineteen, some suggestions comes to mind: sheer lack of imagination, at all levels of society is one of them. I have personally seen only baffled incredulity from some at ideas like colonizing the Moon o Mars, mining the asteroid belt, building O'Neill habitats, etc. All that Buck Rogers stuff seems absurd to many.
A rather feeble objection is that a real space program costs too much, that we have too many problems on Earth to go gallivanting beyond the skies. I have retorted that even our pitiful efforts so are has been vastly repaid thru more accurate weather forecasting using data from satellites. In lives and property not lost from things like hurricanes.
I would not go quite that far, saying men can become angels, but I do agree we can do better than what we so often are.
And I'm glad men like Elon Musk are finally shaking up our too long stagnant efforts in space! We need bold, adventurous, forward thinking entrepreneurs like D.D. Harriman and Anson Guthrie. And people willing to support them even a little bit, as I did with my modest purchase of stock in Tesla.
Ad astra! Sean
The problem is that repeated attempts to turn men into angels have generally ended up turning them into devils.
Seriously, well-meaning idealism has killed a lot more people than greed or power-lust.
Hence the saying that if someone comes to your house with the fixed intent of doing good, you should shoot them on sight...
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolute agreement! I am so sick of gosh darn do gooding idealists! They have done so MUCH harm to all of us! As a Burkean conservative my view is that only prudent and cautious reform is likely to have any chance of doing any good.
Ad astra! Sean
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