(urth) started my second read of New Sun

[David Stockhoff]

Of course, the great thing about a "spiral" evolutionary scheme is that 
is it both circular AND linear and can easily be asymptotic as well. 
"Circular" and "linear" answer the question of human relation to God too 
neatly and put an end to further questions ... 
------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 
08:36:19 -0400 From: Lee Berman <severiansola at hotmail.com> To: 
<urth at lists.urth.net> Subject: (urth) started my second read of New Sun 
Message-ID: <SNT123-W8B0F26407B3B44D111DC0CFE10 at phx.gbl> Content-Type: 
text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" ...

 
I too liked Lane Haygood's post and perhaps Wolfe does view spiritual evolution
as an assymptotic spiral, approaching but never reaching ultimate divinity. I 
certainly didn't mean to suggest the Sun series implies Man would replace God.
 
Still, I'm willing to consider circularity as a possibility. I think the 
section which describes the attachment to the person of the monarch as both
the lowest and highest basis for governance is a partial inspiration. It reminds
me of God declaring he is Alpha and Omega. This always struck me as a circular
rather than linear alphabetic statement. The most elegant way to be both the
beginning and the end is to be a circle. So Man is God, just at an earlier point
in spiritual evolution.
 
Part of Tzadkiel's semi-divine nature is the ability to traverse a universe and
perceive multiple points in time simultaneously. I think the natural progression
from that would be the ability to traverse multiple universes and perceive all
points in time simultaneously. As Lane posits, a way to accomplish this
would be to exist outside all time and space.
 
...