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<DIV>> Why have a robot raise the children? It seems to me that it's to
ensure that the education they receive is exactly the same.
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Possibly. But it may also be that in Port Mimizon, public education
leaves something to be desired. Indeed, it appears standard among the rich or
middle clesses of Port Mimizon not to be attending whaty we would recognise as
an ordinary school - though it could also simply be, of course, that Phaedra,
Marydol etc. are the only other children the narrator knows. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>> After all, "Gene Wolfe" wants to make sure that all the other Gene
Wolfes that follow him are not only Gene-etic (a pun I suspect Wolfe had in
mind, given the focus on his name throughout the story: we think he's only
talking about wolves in stories, but I suspect he's also talking about genes)
replicas but also replicas in every other way, especially education and
upbringing. Of course, he can't control *everything* but as many
things as he can control he is controlling in order to make sure that every
cloned son is as like him as possible until he/they finally achieve/s his/their
full potential. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Controlling everything? I suppose you could consider writing a book
that way...</DIV>
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<DIV>
<DIV>> Change and growth and maturity and glorification require interaction
with and intermarriage with the Other, with someone outside. (There
are some profound theological reasons behind this, which Jordan explores in
his essay, as does Peter Leithart in a forthcoming essay in a festschrift
for Jordan). You have to marry someone different, someone outside
your own family. You don't clone your children; attempting to "save your
life" (your genes) in that way will result in losing it and losing the
world. The only way to "save your life" and gain the world is to lose it,
to give it away, to care not at all about preserving your genes. If you're
concerned about your Genes, you become a Wolf.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>See also Urth/Ushas.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And maybe 'The Outsider'?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>- Gerry Quinn</DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>