Thus, Ythrians have fully participative democracy but also "deathpride" which can involve honourable suicide. They are intelligent, winged carnivores and their values reflect that.
On Gwydion:
"'Money is only a convenience. Its possession does not give a man power over his fellows."
-"The Night Face," IV, p. 580.
But it is learned that the Gwydiona's universal reasonableness is counterbalanced by annual collective insanity. Knowing this, it should be possible to find medical and psychological ways to heal the insanity while preserving the reasonableness - or at least to initiate research in that direction.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Except Gwydion was interdicted by the Allied Planets, prohibiting off planet visitors from landing there. Presumably both to avoid harm to the Gwydiona and the sheer difficulty of doing anything effective about the hereditary periodical insanity of the residents. Any genetic tinkering with them is all too likely to backfire, IMO.
I am also skeptical that any curing of the Gwydiona would end in them retaining that implausible reasonableness we see during their "sane" periods.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Rightly sceptical but there is an opportunity for research there.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And necessarily a very long range project. Not to be done hastily.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Yes, like all research.
Paul.
The Gwydiona haven't changed their nature, they've segregated it -- crammed all the 'negative' side into one short period.
The overall effect of this is... not good, to put it mildly.
The Gwydiona turn out to have segregated, not changed, their nature. Their condition warrants study as a way to find out whether something better can be done consciously instead of unconsciously.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
A good way of putting it. I was thinking, somewhat vaguely, of the Gwydiona "concentrating" their sane minds in the off seasons of the year, when the baleflower was not in bloom.
Ad astra! Sean
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