Wolfe and Materialism

Gerry Quinn · 12 Feb 2011, 14:59 · from 2011-February.txt.gz

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From: gerryq at indigo.ie (Gerry Quinn)
Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2011 14:59:01 -0000
Subject: (urth) Wolfe and Materialism
References: <SNT123-W343BE9249A430D219BAF5BCFEF0 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <B0957CA073814271A60AB54DCAEB022B@jill>

From: "Lee Berman" <severiansola at hotmail.com>
>>Gerry Quinn:

>>For example, I think that in BotLS Silk is
>>enlightened by the Outsider, and Crane's theory about a mini-stroke is 
>>wrong

> While I think that Crane's theory about a mini-stroke is correct. AND Silk
> was enlightened by the Outsider. Both levels are correct. The mini-stroke
> allowed the rearrangement of neural patterns which led to the 
> enlightenment.
>
> Is it silly to think that the deity may have a purpose in what we consider
> simply a health problem? Dr Crane is a very competent doctor. Where he
> makes a mistake (in Wolfe's eyes) is in thinking a mini-stroke can ONLY be
> a blood vessel breaking and nothing more.

That could be valid in a universe in which the Outsider for some reason 
chooses always to send visions by way of minor neurological catastrophes. 
However I don't think we have any evidence to suppose this is the case in 
BotLS.  If it isn't, Crane is wrong about both cause and event.

In another book, the author might well choose to leave ambiguous the 
question of whether such an event was caused by a random mini-stroke or an 
intervention by a deity.  But I don't think Wolfe leaves the existence of an 
active deity ambiguous in his books; we are to believe the enlightenment 
came from the Outsider, by whatever means.

- Gerry Quinn

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