(urth) The green man is a fake

[Jerry Friedman]

> From: Jeff Wilson <jwilson at io.com>

> 
> On 1/17/2011 12:27 AM, Jerry Friedman wrote:
> >> From: Jeff Wilson<jwilson at io.com>
> >
> >> On  1/16/2011 10:07 PM, Lee Berman wrote:
> >
> > [snip interesting  points]
> >
> >>> Someone above noted the  right bit of  evidence..he has a nice set of 
>teeth.
> >>> Exactly how does   evolution allow for that? Needs a nice smile?
> >>
> >> The same  way it apparently  allows for contemporary humans to have  wisdom
> >> teeth, appendixes, male nipples,  sense of humor,  musical aptitude, etc.
> >
> > Surely the green man would be an example  of genetic engineering, not 
>evolution.
> > He says they've altered the  algae, so why wouldn't they have altered 
>themselves?
> 
> They would, but not  more than the Author would consider repectful of the 
> Creator.

Do we know that the green people or their creators share the Author's views
of respect toward the Creator?  And do the various man-beasts show us the
limits of that?  Wings the size of the anpiels' would be very handy for
photosynthetic people.
 
> >  doesn't say he lies all the time.  However, I think you've raised a  good
> > possibility
> > that he's a fake put in Severian's path by  whoever wants the New Sun.
> 
> But there seems to be something of a tradition  of enslaving green men as 
> captive oracles.

That's a good point.  We could perhaps imagine that the others have had
other purposes, such as carrying messages that will be believed when a
cacogen wouldn't be.

> And why can't he be authentic and  still be put in  Severian's path, eh?

Because of all the things we've been discussing: He should be a darker
color and have a different appearance (rather like an inhumu--just
kidding), and there's not enough energy in sunlight.

There are answers to all the arguments on either side, and it seems
ambiguous to me.

Jerry Friedman