Babbie

David Stockhoff · 19 Mar 2009, 19:36 · from 2009-March.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:36:39 -0400
Subject: (urth) Babbie
In-Reply-To: <mailman.9111.1237490107.18432.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.9111.1237490107.18432.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <49C29EC7.9090708 at verizon.net>

Sure. I was only saying I had no trouble with the two-part model used to 
explain the Horn-Silk complex. John seems to suggest that it's even less 
of a problem than that from a theological perspective (I myself am no 
expert on souls), in which case 2 parts may not even be needed.

Personally, I'm not sure what Wolfe is getting at with all these 
transmogrifications of souls. Perhaps it is a matter of emphasizing the 
divine and eternal over the fleeting and mundane. And if we or someone 
could control souls, it would be powerful "magic" indeed. (I have 
noticed that Wolfe doesn't write about fireball-throwing wizards so 
much. Magic artillery doesn't lead one to question the nature of the 
divine.)

------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 
11:59:32 -0700 From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <danldo at gmail.com> Subject: 
Re: (urth) Babbie To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net> 
Message-ID: 
<1f7617370903191159h66ea296eh9d2dfb66d953ed9c at mail.gmail.com> 
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David, I think you're on the right track. However, I don't suppose Wolfe 
is proposing any specific answer to the question of what a soul is, let 
alone whether it can be copied or not. Rather, I suggest that he's 
asking questions: "What if _this_ were possible; then where would the 
soul be?" and some of his novels are, among other things, attempts to 
explore those questions, though not necessarily to _answer_ them as 
such. The best fiction raises questions but doesn't necessarily answer 
them.
-- Dan'l Danehy-Oakes ------------------------------

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