the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes

Lee Berman · 18 Jan 2011, 02:31 · from 2011-January.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:31:53 -0500
Subject: (urth) the prime calcula/his citadel and other quotes
Message-ID: <SNT123-W5091AC600F2946FD25B303CFF70 at phx.gbl>

>Gerry Quinn:  The block towers of small children were not the metaphor.  Nor do I delight 
>in knocking them down.

>When some adult constructs something which they intend to be part of a 
>load-bearing structure, I consider that I'm doing them a favour pointing out 
>reasons why it needs to be modified befure being usable as such.

Gerry I will take your word that you do not feel delight in criticizing the theories of others
but rather feel you are performing a public service. I think if you could be truly honest here
you could admit to other human emotions than pure altruism in your motivation. But, hey, who 
needs soul-baring confessionals in an online message board.

You see your role as something like that of a building inspector. I get that. Still I hope you 
understand that the inspectors also need inspecting. I have not, as of yet, noticed that you find 
any theory (other than your own) to pass inspection. They start at "highly questionable" and descend 
downward from there. If I have missed your evaluation of some (other than your own) theories as "good" 
or higher, please let me know. Otherwise I'm sure you can understand the need for an inspection of
the inspector with such relentlessly negative evaluations.

In seriousness, I think you do perform a valuable role. It really is like the role of Baldanders in 
a lot of ways. You see shiny blue baubles of worthless theories, "monuments to superstition" which ignore
the concrete truth of the correct interpretation of Wolfe. You want to hurl them as far as you can 
throw them, let them shatter on the rocks. 

Baldanders wanted to destroy superstition in the name of science, his beloved anatomical science, but we 
know he was partially motivated by jealousy over Severian's impending and foretold victory/ascension.

But what Baldanders did in his actions on the Claw of the Conciliator was to shatter the illusory casing
and reveal that what was supposedly a flaw in the jewel was actually the true mystic essence of the relic.
And surely that sort of role is valuable. Not to mention that Baldanders plays an indispensable role as
a foil for Severian. 

On this part we agree totally, Gerry. Yours is an indispensable role on this list. 

(but remember, without the contributions of those who are, "building tottering towers of babble that don't make 
any sense at all", you'd have much less to talk about here)

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