Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 13:19:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jerry Friedman 
Subject: Re: (urth) uncritical acceptance


--- maa32  wrote:
> Mark,
> As far as the distance, we want to believe it is pretty close because
> the 
> einhumu have to travel between the two whorls.  It's odd - so many of
> the 
> claims I've made have been argued against by a literal interpretation of
> the 
> text - now the distances themselves are called into question.
> 
> What purpose does the distorted distance of Green serve the text?

I think this is a very good question.

...

> Should we really question everything that comes 
> from the second hand account?  What about The Book of the Long Sun?  All
> of 
> that could be totally bogus.  But we have to believe something.  I think
> 
> reliability should only be questioned to match an overwhelming theme or 
> message.
> 
> Honestly, I think I've accepted the least of what the text actually says
> of 
> almost anyone. (How many times have I heard: "the text ACTUALLY says
> ..." to 
> argue against me? I can't believe I've been called a textual literalist!
>  Me! 
> Oh well.

First of all, the distance to Green is probably the *most* overtly
unreliable information in the trilogy.  Silkhorn says that Inclito
says that Gagliardo says that it's 30,000 leagues, and I find it
very hard to see how Gagliardo could know.  On the other hand,
Wolfe could easily make the most unreliable-seeming statement
actually be true.

Second of all, it's kind of begging the question to believe things
that fit a theory and doubt things that conflict.

Jerry Friedman

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