The irrigation of Lune

Timothy Reilly · 04 Mar 2002, 04:03 · from urth-v0203.mbox · original

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From: "Timothy Reilly" <treilly at ozemail.com.au>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: The irrigation of Lune
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 15:03:34 +1100
Message-ID: <urth-v0203-274 at digest.urth.net>
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> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Timothy Reilly" <treilly at ozemail.com.au>
> >
> > Are you sure?  What part of which speech do you have in mind?
>
> The bit in SOTL where Typhon and Severian are speaking.   "My astronomers
> had told me that this sun's activity would decay slowly . .   They were
> wrong . . . "   clearly implies that the astronomers and Typhon knew what
> was going on at the sun's core and therefore had a part in it.

No - this certainly doesn't follow logically.  Astronomers today think they
know what's happening at the sun's core, but can hardly be said to have
contributed to it!  I've always read the words as naturally meaning only
what they say, that Typhon's advisers were aware that the sun's activity was
declining, but underestimated how fast.  Nor on my reading is there any
possible motivation for Typhon putting a black hole at the sun's core - it
hardly helps him.  He's an evil tyrant, but shows no inclination to destroy
all human kind (himself included).

--=20

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