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I suppose I could make myself clearer. Ever a problem. The reason why human concepts of morality might not apply to the Hieros goes back to my residual Kantianism. For humans, ou…
11 Jul 2008, 02:49
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Now we've strayed into my territory (philosophy!). I think that the analysis given of the Hierogrammates is too one- sided, ethically. We're assuming that morality works on a br…
10 Jul 2008, 19:56
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Well, I suppose that God was not responsible for Sev and the New Sun, so God hasn't broken any of his promises directly (assuming, of course, you're not an occasionalist, but w…
08 Jul 2008, 21:10
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I'm no geologist, but I did have an interest in the subject in my younger days, so I'll take a stab at this one. I'd say that as long as the thorn was coated in some sort of h…
07 Jul 2008, 20:51
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I practice several blade arts like Filipino kali and Kukishinden Ryu Kenjutsu. Cutting with a sword is no easy feat, but I just don't see the benefit of a sliding bit of weight in …
03 Jul 2008, 04:01
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0312890176/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link That's the cover of Shadow and Claw, with a pretty good picture. TE is actually a copy of a common medieval…
02 Jul 2008, 06:16
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Could be a question of resource management. Removing gravity and inertia would doubtless take vast amounts of fuel or power. Maybe the Hieros only do that when they really need…
12 Jun 2008, 08:26
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Maybe that's the point. No matter how much ends-based reasoning we engage in, none of it is ever sufficient to create something truly moral, because what is moral must be judge…
09 Jun 2008, 04:36
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Given Sev's... lack of fidelity to the Increate's honest truth... how much credence should we give to his stories of sexual profligacy? Lane…
06 Jun 2008, 19:09
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Why assume that the two things are unrelated? Form follows function; morality follows, in many respects, the practicalities of the situation, at least insofar as we're willing …
05 Jun 2008, 01:15
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Sterling is a good writer; just not all the time! I, too, liked Heavy Weather, but more for seeing my native land portrayed in fiction (not by Cormac McCarthy) and because it wa…
14 May 2008, 03:30
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I don't know if I'd say "required" but it is he only way to make sense of what went on in the first four books. Well, as much sense as anything ever makes. Lane…
13 May 2008, 19:22
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I don't know if I'd say "required" but it is he only way to make sense of what went on in the first four books. Well, as much sense as anything ever makes. Lane…
13 May 2008, 19:08
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I didn't think Moorcock was a socialist/communist. In fact, I've always read his stuff as being much more anarchistic (although it does have a decidedly leftist bent) than soci…
13 May 2008, 01:13
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Anyone who likes Wolfe should, if they can, get ahold of Sean Williams' "Books of the Change" and "Books of the Cataclysm." I know the latter are published by Pyr in the States…
12 May 2008, 21:49
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Whereabouts in Texas, Charles? I'm in Waco for law school, but I spend a fair amount of time in Austin. Lane…
11 May 2008, 05:07
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I didn't catch the Yesod/Yetzirah typo. I say "Y" and read right past it. It was my understanding that Malkhut was not the world in which we live because it represents the sta…
01 May 2008, 23:22
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Ah, that makes more sense. I'm actually going to go find my old class notes and update them. :) Lane…
01 May 2008, 20:46
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I think it likely that Briah represents a more primal (spiritual) stage of existence, as you say. Both names (Briah and Yesod) are taken from Kabbalah/Gnosticism. Briah is the…
01 May 2008, 20:19
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So is it pronounced "Urdh," with the voiced [th] sound? (Sorry, I don't know how to reproduce IPA in plain text). The Norse is pronounced that way, but I've always pronounced "…
24 Apr 2008, 18:18
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That's one of the things commonly debated in sword-aficionado circles (metallurgy, not Gene Wolfe). The problem is something on a more basic level -- there is a constant, almos…
17 Jan 2008, 20:57
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I've never heard of an actual mercury channel in a sword. I can ask on a swordsmanship forum I frequent (where several smiths post) to see if it's feasible. From what I underst…
17 Jan 2008, 18:20
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You and me both. /Now, if only I could get someone to forge me _Terminus Est_... Lane…
16 Jan 2008, 22:59
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Remember that Wolfe uses narrators to tell his story -- unreliable ones. Anything written in the narrative voice should be taken to be the thought of the narrator, not necessar…
08 Jan 2008, 18:09
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Here's some initial thoughts: Laurentia is the feminine version of Laurentium, so if Laurentium = Lawrence (Larry) then Laurentia should = Laura or something similar. Cadroe pr…
28 Nov 2007, 19:50
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Why assume it has but one meaning? Wolfe probably intended for it to have different layers of meaning. He's crafty like that. Lane…
27 Nov 2007, 05:30
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I thought "pelagic" referred to open-ocean zones -- like there are different *-pelagics for different depths (i.e., mesopelagic, epipelagic, etc.) Argosy was, I thought, a ref…
27 Nov 2007, 04:22
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Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster. Neanderthals were not "human," in the sense of being homo sapiens. They were another species, human-like, but not human. Here's a w…
21 Jun 2007, 01:07
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