The Kirkasanters are archaic in several ways. They shake hands, wear uniforms and are strongly motivated to have large families and every woman in a spaceship crew has to be accompanied by an older male relative.
It is said that women are included only because they are "...better at certain jobs than men." (p. 727) Which jobs? All my training tells me that any job vacancy should be filled by the best candidate who is sometimes a man and sometimes a woman.
Aenean "nords" have evolved into red-skinned Kirkasanters. See here.
Daven Laure must remind them that:
"'Homeland, Earth, it's so far away that I myself don't know what it's like anymore!'" (p. 734)
There are, however:
"'...numerous civilizations in this galactic arm.'" (ibid.)
And how many arms are inhabited? (In James Blish's Cities In Flight, civilization has spread through Arm II.)
This is a very different situation from the earlier periods in the Technic History when there were perhaps half a dozen interstellar civilizations, each belonging to a different species. What has become of the Ymirites in the Commonalty period?
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think women are likely to be better at some jobs than men. E.g., it's been my personal observation over many years that women seem to be better than men at scanning out groceries and handling cash registers at busy grocery stores. They seem more agile, deft, and quicker at taking money, ringing up what belongs to the store, and handing back the right change.
I got the vague impression had spread thinly thru two or three spiral arms of the galaxy. That seems right, spread out over 5,000 years.
Never thought of that before, what happened to the Ymirites??? We don't know, except to say hydrogen breathers like then are so different from oxygen breathers that there's seldom much reason for them to interact. What little is known about Ymirites can be found mostly in HUNTERS OF THE SKY CAVE.
Ad astra! Sean
Kaor, to All!
Some readers might find my guest article, "How Many Heads Do Ymirites Have?" of some interest.
Ad astra! Sean
Human beings don't have a reproductive instinct, strictly speaking.
They have a -sexual- instinct, a pairbonding/partnering instinct, and they have an instinct to -care- for infants.
Which, incidentally, is why they also like puppies and kittens, who have a lot of the same triggering features human youngsters do.
(All of the above function somewhat differently in males and females.)
These fulfilled the same -functions- as a reproductive instinct in the conditions under which we evolved.
Evolution is often a complex kludge, because it's a -random- process, not one that's consciously designed.
I would wonder why the Kirkasanters have a reproductive instinct -sensu strictu-, rather than a pronatalist -culture-.
Because if they'd regressed to a preindustrial existence on Kirkasant, the same longstanding human instincts would fulfill exactly the same purpose as they did for our ancestors.
Hence a reproductive instinct would be, in evolutionary terms, unnecessary.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
IOW, what you discussed here was a possible plot flaw or weakness in Anderson's scenario for the Kirkasanters. Regrettable but necessary. And many times readers don't need to be so analytical, they can simply enjoy the story.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: well, that occurred to me while I was reading the story.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Only wish I could have thought of some of the points you and Paul have made! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
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