{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/whorl/756", "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "whorl", "thread": { "id": 756, "subject": "The Inhumi-Destroying Secret", "messages": 2, "voices": 2, "first": "2000-01-20T21:05:48+00:00", "last": "2000-01-21T09:21:36+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Josh Levitan", "address": "josh_levitan at hotmail.com" }, "date": "2000-01-20T21:05:48+00:00", "subject": "(whorl) The Inhumi-Destroying Secret", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "David Wells wrote:\na) I agree with several posters that the \"you are what you eat\" theory is \nby\nfar the most morally/philosophically interesting candidate for the inhumi\nsecret, and also the most consistent with what I would expect from Wolfe.\nBut it doesn't seem to fit with Horn's description of the secret, as has\nalso been pointed out. (And let's assume that this isn't just because Horn\nis far from the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and is also a somewhat\nincoherent and inconsistent narrator).\nA much more boring variation, but one which might fit the known facts\nbetter, is a bit more physical/literal. Suppose that it's _particular\nchemicals_ - e.g. adrenaline - which make the inhumi more\nintelligent/humanlike. So if the humans organise themselves to stay a bit\ncalmer and be a little less afraid of the inhumi, the latter would become\ngradually less intelligent (and maybe eventually even our heroic narrator\nwould be able to outsmart them ;-).\nI know this sounds like an old Star Trek script, and I rather hope it's\n_not_ the secret, but it seems to work a little better with respect to\nHorn's description of the secret. It allows the humans to continue to be\nintrinsically sinful creatures, but encourages them to try not to _act out_\ntheir sins, because this would fill their bloodstreams with\ninhumi-stimulating chemicals. Hmmm..." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "The problem with this is, it doesn't work any better than either the \n\"you-are-what-you-eat\" theory or the do-unto-others theory. Trying to \ncontrol involuntary glandular secretions (which are secreted as a reaction \nto dangerous creatures) on a society-wide scale is not workable (and \nprobably not possible, with the technology the Blue colonists possess). \nNice thought, though." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "And then Alga wrote:\nLook, you guys, you're all familiar with the author--what on earth makes \nyou think that Wolfe is going to give you the secret before Book III (if \nthen)? Would that be in characacter? Of course not! Not that it isn't fun \nto speculate in advance, but (IMO) the speculations have been spectacularly \nun-Wolfean to date. Sweetness and Light is hardly his game." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "As I said before, I think the sheer number of references made to the secret \nin the text sort of hint at its solution. This seems, knowing Wolfe's \nfavorite authors, like a deliberate reference to Borges' \"The Sect of the \nPhoenix.\" I'm sure the secret will be made abundantly clear at some point, \nperhaps in \"Green,\" but I think we've got enough info to figure it out now, \nalthough nobody has yet.\n\nTo reiterate, in the hopes somebody will crack this:\nWe've got a secret that Krait imparts to Horn, mainly because of the close, \nfather-son bond the two developed. It's a secret that is extremely \ndangerous to the inhumi, and can return them to the level of ignorant \npredators. It's obviously something that can be acted on fairly quickly, \nsomething relatively simple (i.e., it doesn't require a high level of \ntechnology), and, if the Rajan/Horn (whomever) spreads the secret, that will \npretty much enable everyone to act on it. This rules out things like \npreventing the inhumi from biting humans or changing society into a textbook \nChristian one, because these are not workable, and one person who doesn't \nfollow these \"cures\" would screw the whole thing up for everybody.\n\nNarwhal (my new Vironese name -- thanks Alga, for your input on this)" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Jim Henley", "address": "jhenley at nas-corp.com" }, "date": "2000-01-21T09:21:36+00:00", "subject": "RE: (whorl) The Inhumi-Destroying Secret", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "-----Original Message-----\nFrom: Josh Levitan [mailto:josh_levitan at hotmail.com]\nSent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 4:06 PM\n\nThis rules out things like\npreventing the inhumi from biting humans or changing society\ninto a textbook\nChristian one, because these are not workable, and one person\nwho doesn't\nfollow these \"cures\" would screw the whole thing up for everybody." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Anent the \"prevent any human from being bitten\" theory, this doesn't just\nfall afoul of the problem of getting every human to care about protecting\nevery other human. It falls afoul of Nobody can go outside except in groups\nof three, Nobody can explore new territory, Nobody can live in the country\netc." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Narwhal (my new Vironese name -- thanks Alga, for your input on this)" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Cool name!\n\nBest,\n\n\nPlas\n\n\n*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun." } ] } ] }