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darkness, nothingness within nothingness, drew his gaze, as if he were falling into a well. Page 116 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html The reflection said, "We can go to Cygnus X-l. And see. The Nothing Philanthropotech can guide us. Give him control of the ship." That snapped Phaethon's head back up. He spoke coldly: "No one is taking my ship. No one. Your Nothing Machine is a monster. How can you agree with anything it says? Look at it! Look at the structure! The very picture of insanity, a mind without a center." "No, brother." The reflection pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, indicating the swirling maelstrom appearing in the mirror behind him. "This is an image of liberty. Think of the economic process of the free market. Think of the organization you use on your own ship. Each separate element is free to cooperate or not with the common goal; no central hierarchy is needed to impose that goal, no basic logic-structure. All that is needed is a context, a philosophy, to give the cooperative effort a context in which to act. It is a self-organizing and self-regulating chaos. This, this type of mind, this type of community, represents my basic values, my basic view of life. That, more than anything, is what convinced me." Daphne, who had been silent, watching him, now leaned from her throne, and said, "Darling, you are really creeping me out talking to yourself that way. You know it is just a fraud! If you are going to talk to the Nothing Machine, talk to the other illusion, the one with the wild hair. At least it looks dead and unnatural and has a fashionable tailor. Not to mention background music. But don't think those are your words just because they are coining out of what looks like your mouth!" A ring of chimes accompanied the soft words issuing from the silver mask. The feathery antennae nodded. "The image is accurate. Phaethon, should he consent to hear the evidence, and learn the facts, will, without any outside interference, be convinced." Phaethon looked over at her. He pointed at the mirror showing the thought-diagram of the Nothing Mind, the whirlpool. "I don't know why the gadfly virus did not do anything. Maybe the irrational mathematics somehow can work, or... or something. There is something wrong with what we are seeing, but I don't know what it is...." Daphne said, "Snap out of it! There is no paradox! There has to be a core logic. It is just hidden. I'm making a data-ferret, and loading it. I'll find the damn thing. That conscience redactor has to be in there somewhere. There has to be a command-level core logic running this whole thing, and the redactor will have access to it. Keep talking! We just have to hit a topic that the conscience redactor will react to! Once it shows itself, we win!" "But what if " Phaethon started. "What if the Nothing is right after all?" Phaethon's reflection finished. The silver mask said mildly, "My thoughts are open for your inspection. There is no deception here." Daphne was listening to the conversation between Phaethon and Phaethon. Perhaps she was thinking of her old vocation, because Daphne uttered a word that referred to horse droppings. Then she said, "Just keep talking! If he convinces you, then he convinces you fine. We'll both turn into monsters and go kill our family and friends, and then jump down a black hole!" "At least we will be together, my dear," said Phaethon's reflection said to her. "Will you shut him up?!" Daphne scowled, frowning at the mirror in front of her, and unfolding an old-fashioned command-easel from her throne arm. She muttered, "Doesn't even sound like you...." Daphne was startled to see her own face appear in the mirror. "Oh, no! Not you, too!" She pointed an angry finger at the reflection. "Don't you start with me! Switch off!" The reflection ignored the command. Instead she said, "You've never turned your back on truth before, no matter how it hurt. Do that now, and you are just like Daphne Prime! And you're not like her! And deciding not to listen to what I have to say before you hear me say it, well, that's just another type of drowning. And that's just not the way you are! I should know!" Page 117 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Daphne looked skeptical. "And just how many simulations of me did he have to run before, by chance, he found one who was convinced? A thousand? Ten [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |