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From: rf@wu1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: The Library! -- Possible Future History
Message-ID: <199@wu1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Nov-83 22:23:57 EST
Article-I.D.: wu1.199
Posted: Wed Nov 30 22:23:57 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Dec-83 12:54:28 EST
References: <4114@uiucdcs.UUCP>, <1095@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Western Union Telegraph, Mahwah, NJ
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Given the current human tendencies, I would guess that even the
effort to study *The Library* would be too much for most people.
Even the effort of teaching the Libraries enough to be useful in
a given culture might prove too much.  Some cautious races would
probably suspect the Library of spying on them--and in light of
events in *Startide Rising* might be correct in their
suspicions.

I suspect that in dealing with a Library that old and big:

  - The problem of learning the Library would be about as
    difficult as the problem of studying the physical universe.

  - Some substantial portion of the Library would be in error,
    either through failure of checks made before the data was
    entered or as a result of obsolesence.  Even supposedly
    fixed physical laws might change in billions of years.
    Given the Galactic reverence for the Library, correcting
    mistakes would be quite difficult.

It may be that, at some level, *thinking* is a process which
itself is limited.  Even if not, wise sentients might not wish
to construct sentients who could outthink them.  So perhaps the
Galactics never got about a millenium ahead of us.


				Randolph Fritz