In a message dated 11/24/2002 12:01:53 AM US Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I have a minor problem with your thinking and conclusions, which may not make a difference because I suspect you're only joking anyway. :) If not, this might cost you a gold star. :-) <snip> >Aliens uplift proto sapient races. And the Library Unit defines the rock >and >the bear and ends all bragging. > >No mythology. > >And no heroes. Shouldn't that be "no heroes of legend?" Ordinary people take actions quite often that can be defined as 'heroic' in the real world. I think that firefighters (as an example) are heroic figures, because they overcome personal danger to save lives. ---------- Correct. I was sort of on a Campbell theme. I don't know if he ever talked about firefighters. No heroes of mythology should have been better stressed. The mythological hero cleans out the stables; the real hero cures hoof n mouth disease. ----------- Yes, in the five Galaxies, there is no "Superman", and his absence is lamentable. But no real heroes? Can't be. You don't need superpowers to be a hero. You merely need to push beyond the expectations of others and yourself. People do that in the real world all the time. Jon >> ----------- And Dr. Brin has set this up nicely in the Uplift Universe, that Earthclan's and Jijo's expectations and pushing beyond them are profoundly different from expectations that have been dictated by a Library Unit. Every culture has the hero that did this and did that. Not every culture has the hero of legend that did ninety-nine impossible things before breakfast. Clarke said that any truly advanced civilization's technology will be indistinguishable from magic. Vilyehm's perversion: Any advanced civilization without imagination will be truly indistinguisable. The Library Units primary function is not to answer questions. It's to curtail any creativity and imaginative thought that could lead to Galactic instability. In some ways this is not that far different from the Buyur "I Can Dream It For You Wholesome" plan. [Hmmm. Who have I offended more? Dr. Brin, or P. K. Dick?] All of his Star Wars work on there not being a classical hero got me to thinking that in a way he, Dr. Brin himself, was playing with the same theme. I didn't pre-plan this little email. I started my day today at 4AM to drive to the northern edge of the city for an estate sale that started at 8AM. I spent $80 on books for stock. I got back home at 3PM and saw that there were no new Brin-L messages to read. This won't do, I thought. So I sat down and did the first good idea that came to mind. Dr. Brin is playing with another Campbell theme, but of course, this is another Campbell. Astounding, isn't it? William Taylor --------------------- That which does not kill us makes good copy and sells more newspapers. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
