While we wonder how the intelligent machines function, Poul Anderson shows them wondering about us:
"'I cannot understand your description of the bipeds' interior,' Hundred said practically. 'Soft, porous material soaked in sticky red liquid; acrid vapors - How do they work? Where is the mechanism?'" (p. 228)
Seven thinks that the captured bipeds might be chemically powered artefacts. Zero thinks that they are auxiliaries of "'...the monster...,'" (p. 229) his name for the space boat, then realizes in amazement that they might instead be its masters! Meanwhile, the human beings have with some difficulty acknowledged between themselves that the robot which has captured them is autonomous. "'...mutual comprehension...'" (ibid.) grows but gradually.
3 comments:
This reminds me of the wizards of Discworld in "The Science of Discworld" expressing disbelief at the notion that a universe without magic can have anything complex & interesting such as a mind.
In DC Comics, a supervillain found out that there was one parallel Earth where no one has got any superpowers. One of his colleagues said, "Seems a bit unlikely."
Kaor, Paul!
That sounds a lot like how two mutually alien intelligent species might react to one another on First Contact. Esp. if one or both don't realize, at first, that the other race is intelligent.
Ad astra! Sean
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