Venator to Nicol:
"'Study some history, and you'll see how much wreckage, misery, and death was due to idealists. Earth is well rid of their sort.'" (p. 163)
If Nicol studies some history, then he might learn different lessons but then he can discuss the issues with Venator.
Manse Everard:
"'I think most human misery is due to well-meaning fanatics...'"
-Poul Anderson, "Time Patrol" IN Anderson, Time Patrol (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 1-53 AT 5, p. 42.
I would find it hard to argue about history with a Time Patrolman.
Nicholas van Rijn:
"'The troublemakers, they are those what are not contented with God's gifts of good food, drink, music, women, profit. No, they bring on misery because they must play at being God themselves, they will be our Saviors with a capital ass.'"
-Poul Anderson, Mirkheim IN Anderson, Rise Of The Terran Empire (Riverdale, NY, 2011), pp. 1-291 AT IX, p. 136.
Profit is hardly a gift from God. It is a relationship between people. Not everyone has van Rijn's opportunities to enjoy good food, drink etc. In "Lodestar," he has to be told that the beings in Supermetals are not playing games but seeking freedom for their peoples.
7 comments:
Can Rojn’s operations were always mutually beneficial - not equally so, of course, but why should they be? It was only after the League decayed that that ceased to be the general case.
Kaor, Paul!
And with some slight revisions or nuances, I agree with these statements! Esp. the one by Manse Everard.
And I would argue that the beings running Supermetals were not particularly interested in "freedom" for their planets. What they were doing was dividing up the profits among themselves obtained from selling the rare metals from Mirkheim to improve and better the lives of their peoples. Which I certainly don't object to!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
When I mentioned freedom, I was paraphrasing the dialogue in the story.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Then I was relying too much on my memory. The members of the Supermetals consortium came from the poorer, more obscure worlds, human and nonhuman (like Vixen and Ikrananka) that I did not think anyone was deliberately oppressing.
Now I'm wondering if Trillia was also part of the consortium!
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Probably not. Trillia had independently achieved FTL travel, even if their hyperdrive ships were clumsy and primitive compared to those of the more advanced worlds.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
They were not necessarily being oppressed like Tametha but they wanted to"fly free."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I certainly don't object to that!
I had a whimsical thought: we never see a being as MASSIVE as a Wodenite using grav belts. Now that would have been astonishing, Adzel or Fr. Axor flying!
Ad astra! Sean
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