From: CRCulver@aol.com
Subject: (urth) More Thoughts on the Black Hole
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 21:34:29 


[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

Friends,

I have here an interesting little hypothesis that you will either scoff at or
be driven mad by its paradoxial temporal mechanics. We have to, however, set
aside the notion that someone planted the b.h. in the Old Sun to destroy the
Monarchy:

There has been discussion of late on how the b.h. came to be in the Old Sun.
Many favour the idea that the Conciliator did it. Others insist that it was
done by the Hierodules to end the rule of Typhon. I have another idea.
What if the b.h. was created to insure the Law of Conservation of Mass?
Perhaps ::insert deity name here:: through nature's laws insured that if
anything came into this universe from a lower universe (White Fountain), an
equal amount would leave it to a higher universe (black hole). Here one is
presented by a conundrum that eventually becomes much like the "chicken or
the egg first?" question. Did the White Fountain come first and the b.h.
created to balance it, or vice versa?

One request: if you're going to blow my idea apart (and I'm sure many will),
please do citation if it the evidence is in TUotNS. It's been a while since
I've opened that book up and marveled at its metaphysics.

Christopher R. Culver <crculver@aol.com> or <new_sun@hotmail.com>