Quasi Christ?

David Stockhoff · 11 Feb 2009, 12:44 · from 2009-February.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:44:16 -0500
Subject: (urth) Quasi Christ?
In-Reply-To: <mailman.1.1234303771.4196.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.1.1234303771.4196.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <4992C820.8040607 at verizon.net>

Point taken. 

Although, funnily enough, if we are wondering whether alien races/species can have crucificial theophanies---whether across a universe or across a succession of universes---then in fact it may be more relevant to ask whether a Heechee or a Puppeteer or a Neighbor can suffer on an analogue of the cross than whether it can think. Presumably both abilities are ideal, but the first is critical, no pun intended.

If we follow the Lumen Gentium, however, sapience may be more useful for an alien race that will never have its own theophany. (And this makes me think of the Hieros, who strike me far more as thinkers than feelers, as well as the various individuals I've called Powers.)

But this is for whoever is Pope at First Contact in 2150 AD to worry about.

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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:47:08 +1000 (EST)
From: David Duffy <David.Duffy at qimr.edu.au>
Subject: Re: (urth) Quasi Christ?
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0902110741490.11637 at orpheus.qimr.edu.au>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

On Tue, 10 Feb 2009, Roy C. Lackey wrote:

> > David Stockhoff wrote:
>   
>>> >>> First, I'd say that the novel simply must rule out all other sentient
>>>       
> > species. In fact, there don't seem to be any other sentient species in the
> > TBotNS universe
>   

I have to be pedantic  ;) . "Sentient" (contrary to most use in SF) means
"feeling" (and therefore capable of suffering), so all mammals are
sentient.  What we should say is "sapient" if we refer to intelligence.

Cheers, David Duffy.

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