The Outsider

David Stockhoff · 17 Dec 2010, 12:52 · from 2010-December.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:52:22 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Outsider
In-Reply-To: <AANLkTin14AJa9mCG2CJt7Ly5m6XAat0BucKPEhwjiiY9 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <AANLkTin14AJa9mCG2CJt7Ly5m6XAat0BucKPEhwjiiY9 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4D0B5D06.5080509 at verizon.net>

I think it is unnecessary to study too closely the question of 
incarnations and universes. Seems to me that the question of how many 
incarnations can fit into the multiverse depends far more on one's sense 
of a "universe" than on one's theology. Lewis is bound to think 
differently from Wolfe, and so on. At one point we discussed this on the 
planetary level (specifically, Wolfe's Christmas story set on another 
planet).

Recall that "universe" was once commonly  taken to refer to our galaxy 
alone; now we know how much bigger the universe is than we thought a 
mere 100 years ago. And theories of its construction have advanced 
tremendously as well.

After all, even if we objectively observe several "universes," how do we 
know whether these represent subdivisions of a universe, or additions 
into a multiverse?

We don't. The "Author" has the final say, and can therefore hand out the 
incarnations as he sees fit.

On 12/17/2010 6:52 AM, Andrew Mason wrote:
> Gerry Quinn wrote:
>
>> (I don't think most people, including Catholic theologians, would be shocked
>> by the notion of Incarnations on differnet planets of our universe
>> either...)
> That is the basis of the (in some circles) well-known Christmas hymn
> 'Every star shall sing a carol', by Sidney Carter.
>
> On the other hand it is firmly rejected by C.S. Lewis, who seems OK
> with the idea of different incarnations in different universes.
>
> None of which, of course, proves anything about Wolfe. I agree that
> your reading is the simplest; it fits in with the fact that Severian's
> world has a past very (incredibly) like our own, and the clear
> existence of a Christianity-analogue there. These can be explained in
> other ways; but to insist that they must be seems to me to turn on a
> theological assumption that it's not clear Wolfe shares. I'm inclined
> to share it myself; but manifestly not everyone does, so I don't
> insist on it as a principle of interpretation.
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