Brian Stableford by The Plurality of Worlds

Author:The Plurality of Worlds
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-11-21T21:51:11+00:00

“And he suspects de Vere of poisoning his own beliefs with papist heresies,” Raleigh agreed. “I don’t much care what Ned thinks, but I trust your judgment. Is it possible, do you think, that your monstrous moth really is made in God’s image, while we are mere sports of mischance?”

“Aristocles and his kind do not think of God’s image in terms of a singular form,” Thomas told him. “They are as firmly opposed to idolatry, in their fashion, as any Puritan. God’s image, in the thinking of the True Civilization, is the image of collaboration between different species—what Lumen calls symbiosis by virtue of his incessant improvisation from Greek and Latin roots. He means more by that than the manner in which insectile species, crablike species, and snail-like species play complementary roles in his beloved True Civilization. He can wax lyrical on the subject of the special relationships that exist between Earthly insects and flowers, ants and fungi, fiddler-crabs and sea anemones. In fact, Lumen seems to me to be as dedicated a celebrant of complex inter-relationships between creatures of many different kinds as his adversary Aristocles. All the life on an individual world, Aristocles claims, is not merely a single family in its own right, but an inseparable part of a much vaster family. God’s image, to him, is a kind of unity, represented by all life collectively rather than any particular form. Lumen seems to think along similar lines, although I’m not sure where he and his fellow ethereals fit into the pattern, from the viewpoint of the True Civilization or their own.”

“But we are not included in this unity of crabs, ticks, and clams,” Raleigh said, peeved by the omission in spite of this being a club of which he had no wish to be a member. “Simply because of our horrid habit of wearing our hard structures on the inside rather than the outside, we’re not deemed fit company for creatures who wear their hard bits on the outside.” He looked up as he finished speaking, because Field had come into the unpartitioned room, carrying a pile of neatly folded clothes.

Although the clergyman was making every effort to avert his eyes from the bodies of his fellow men, his ears seemed to be fully alert.

“I am sorry,” the Puritan said. “The monsters would only bring your garments to the threshold—because Raleigh is right, I think, though he speaks half in jest.

They can bear to look at us while we are clad, because they can consider our clothing a substitute for what you call an exoskeleton, but not while we are naked.

They do not consider us part of their … un true civilization. They are intent on our extermination, Thomas, for we do not fit into their demonic way of thinking. You must see that.”

Thomas climbed out of the bath, not caring that Field was almost as embarrassed by his naked presence as any exoskeletal bigot might have been. He took up a towel that was resting on an artificial stalagmite.

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