<--prev V12 next-->
From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <ddanehy@siebel.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) the problem with de-evolution
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 11:03:44
> If the inhumi all refuse to feast on human blood since they become
> "good" from good humans,
A debatable premiss, but consider the result as if it were a given.
> then their offspring would return to mindless animals.
Correct so far.
> There is nothing to prevent the mindless animals that are the children
> of good inhumi from sucking off of the people,
Also correct. But Horn does not say the secret will make the inhumi
non-dangerous, only that it will make them no more dangerous than
crocodiles.
> They would have no scruples, then their children would be intelligent.
Intelligent, yes, but (_ex hypothesi_) benevolent. So you would have
the "alternating generations" situation you suggest, but the threat
would be greatly reduced, as the dangerous inhumi would be the mindless
animals.
(As a side note, how many people are _actually_ attacked by alligators
and the like in a given year? I presume that proper precautions could
make the threat from non-sentient inhumi no greater than that from
crocodilians.)
--Blattid
*This is WHORL, for discussion of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun.
*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/
*To leave the list, send "unsubscribe" to whorl-request@lists.best.com
*If it's Wolfe but not Long Sun, please use the URTH list: urth@lists.best.com
<--prev V12 next-->