book of the new sun questions

Bob Miller · 04 Apr 2007, 10:56 · from 2007-April.txt.gz

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From: bob_bageera at hotmail.com (Bob Miller)
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:56:46 -0500
Subject: (urth) book of the new sun questions
In-Reply-To: <1f7617370704031335m2c67996k23595aba953c37d7 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BAY135-F2004054A1005FA9680EB0388660 at phx.gbl>

Bruce,

I think the first thing to consider is that the Hierodules may have
more than one reason for interacting with humans. Bringing the
New Sun is their goal; but who says that it's their *only* goal?

Well said.  As anyone who has worked in a bureaucracy knows, the goal, the 
purpose and the function may all be at odds with each other.  Granting the 
hierodules better coordination than some bureaucracies, it leaves us with 
the orientation that some things are not and will not be known.  And I find 
Wolfe's advance to that part of the compass marked "unknown", as well as his 
elegant prose and evident compassion, to be a major reason to keep returning 
to his work.

 >
 > If the hierodules are behind the autarchy, why do they still do things
 > like support Baldanders expressly so he can grow fat with knowledge
 > and die, dispersing his knowledge to others? How could Baldanders
 > death possibly affect the line of autarchs? Additionally, since the
 > last autarch's conviction is that the Commonwealth stagnant while the
 > line of autarch's march on and face trial at Yesod, why would any
 > effort be wasted on spreading knowledge? The idea behind the
 > hierodules sharing knowledge is that it somehow improves those they
 > share it with, or others indirectly. Ultimately, the hope is to
 > produce from humanity something close to divinity. If the hierodules
 > are still working for that with the old sun, what does that mean?

Hmmm.  Farmers will "rotate" crops planting great fields whose purpose is 
not to be harvested but to stay in place and prepare the soil for the next 
harvest.   May we reason by analogy from here as well?  I wonder.
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