May 2014 Wolfe interview in _Technology Review_

Lee · 01 Aug 2014, 21:20 · from 2014-August.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee)
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2014 17:20:49 -0400
Subject: (urth) FW: May 2014 Wolfe interview in _Technology Review_
In-Reply-To: <BLU175-W18E1BD54173BE3D616754CFE70 at phx.gbl>
References: <BLU175-W18E1BD54173BE3D616754CFE70 at phx.gbl>
Message-ID: <BLU175-W30E1ED57A3BC290A1EE4CCCFE70 at phx.gbl>



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> From: severiansola at hotmail.com
> To: urth at urth.net
> Subject: May 2014 Wolfe interview in _Technology Review_
> Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2014 09:07:24 -0400
>
>>Gerry Quinn: There is only one imitative species
>
>
> Well, one evolving imitative species I would say. Actually, since the definition of "species"
>
> involves mating and reproducing, the process of direct imitation as an evolutionary
>
> mechanism makes the "species" label rather inapplicable.
>
>
>
> We are presented with two scenarios for the origin of Shadow Children.
>
>
> 1. They are the original inhabitants of the St Anne who evolved from shadowy, telepathic,
>
> underground creatures who become abos on their first encounter with humans.
>
>
> or
>
>
> 2. They are the "(d)evolved" result of shipwrecked humans living on Ste Anne and chewing that
>
> weird hallucinogenic stuff.
>
>
>
> Stories are told which support each scenario to the point of cancelling each other out.
>
> If we are to know the true story it must come from incidental evidence in the text.
>
>
> The incidental evidence I find for Scenario #1. is:
>
>
> A. the name Shadow Children, a name we would expect for the descendants of underground shadowy
>
> things.
>
>
> B. The use of nonsensical geography such as Atlantis, Mu and Gondwanaland used in the attempt
>
> to establish an Earth origin for the Shadow Children which seems like an alien-type mistake to
>
> make.
>
>
> C. "(D)evolution" ought to turn humans into apes, not Shadow Children.
>
>
> D. The indeterminate, plural nature of Shadow Children is like nothing found on Earth. How
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> could use of a chemical create such an alien change in human DNA?
>
>
> E. The evolutionary process of telepathic shadow creatures to Shadow Children to Abos to (almost)
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> pure Human is an elegant one tracing a continuing path from more primitive and more mystic to less primitive and less mystic. Shadow Children being a stunted, dead-end human result is inelegant
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> and doesn't fit any pattern, like a leftover jigsaw puzzle piece.
>
>
> F. As Gerry notes, if you kill something and replace it, a lie has to be told to explain it.
> Shadow Children falsely explained as degenerate humans would serve the purpose of such a lie.
>
>
> There does not appear to be any purpose for a lie told about a mystic, domestic, shadowy
>
> origin to Shadow Children.
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>
>
> I am not aware of any incidental evidence which supports Scenario #2. Perhaps others are aware
>
> of some.

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