(urth) bsharp's Inire theory

[Jeff Wilson]

Dave Tallman wrote:
> Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:
>> Let's try to make this as simple as possible...
>>   
> As Einstein once said, "Make things as simple as possible, but not 
> simpler."
>> Hierogrammates (whom some here call simply "Hieros") are the human 
>> race of the
>> previoius cycle of the Universe, or their descendants.
>>   
> I've made this mistake myself, but Hieros and Hierogrammates are not the 
> same. Hieros were human-congates of the last universe cycle who formed 
> the Hierogrammates from another race of beings, making them better than 
> humans. The Hierogrammates plan to use the humans of Briah to form the 
> next iteration of Hieros.
>> Hierodules are beings of the same cycle as Severian, bred up to help 
>> in the task
>> of raising Humanity to Hiero-status.
>>
>> Their relationship is something like that of the Overlords to the 
>> Overmind in
>> Clarke's _Childhood's End_.
>>   
> "Childhood's End" is an interesting reference. I wonder if BotNS was 
> partly inspired by it, because it also involves an attempt to raise 
> humanity to the next level which is catastrophic to Earth.

There's no "attempt," the transcendence is a natural process. The 
Overlords intercede only to prevent the human race from destroying 
itself before the transformation can be completed.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >