Re: Societies of superhumans

Newsgroups	rec.arts.sf.written
From	goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb)
Subject	Re: Societies of superhumans
Message-ID	<p63x1s.wF@kithrup.com> (permalink)
Date	2018-03-24 18:08 +0000
References	<35f964bd-b204-4342-9da2-21e8e19ac2b1@googlegroups.com> <1a3e449f-0df7-4635-9af1-f6464094ec40@googlegroups.com> <8bbfda15-c729-4103-bda8-8f0732b91aec@googlegroups.com> <6b801c63-3f38-40a2-8089-8a997b42c289@googlegroups.com>
Organization	Mt. Foraker Appreciation Society

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In article <6b801c63-3f38-40a2-8089-8a997b42c289@googlegroups.com>,
Robert Carnegie  <rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:
>Doctor Who claimed to have not met anyone who wasn't important,
>but after the episode I just watched where he met "Donna Noble"
>(Catherine Tate) and told her that she wasn't important.
>Granted, she turned out to be colossally important.

There's an episode a little further on, where the Doctor visits
Pompeii shortly before the eruption. The eruption itself is a
"fixed point in time" and can't be averted: but Donna convinces
the Doctor to rescue one family. "Save *somebody*."

Now, "I've never met anyone who wasn't important" is a lovely, 
humanist sentiment. And so is "Save *somebody*". But...they're 
in direct conflict. The only way it's possible to save that
family from dying is if they ARE in fact unimportant -- if it
really doesn't matter whether they live or die. Otherwise you've
just wrecked history.

Yeah, I know: I'm overthinking it, it's just a show, I should 
really just relax.

-- 
   David Goldfarb          |"Feeling smug about one's opinions is the very 
goldfarbdj@gmail.com       | lifeblood of the Net."
goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu  |           -- Dawn Friedman

Thread

Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 00:15 -0700
  Re: Societies of superhumans Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 06:43 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 07:02 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 14:29 +0000
      Re: Societies of superhumans Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-03-23 21:56 -0700
        Re: Societies of superhumans goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb) - 2018-03-24 18:08 +0000
          Re: Societies of superhumans Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-03-24 14:49 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 14:27 +0000
    Re: Societies of superhumans Johnny1A <johnny1a.again@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 21:41 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 21:49 -0700
  Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 13:37 +0000
    Re: Societies of superhumans D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-03-23 18:45 +0000
      Re: Societies of superhumans Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-03-23 13:00 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 15:03 -0500
        Re: Societies of superhumans D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-03-23 21:19 +0000
          Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 22:25 +0000
            Re: Societies of superhumans D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-03-23 23:48 +0000
        Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:37 -0700
          Re: Societies of superhumans David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-23 20:43 -0600
      Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 20:04 +0000
        Re: Societies of superhumans "Michael F. Stemper" <michael.stemper@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 16:12 -0500
          Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 22:26 +0000
      Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:31 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:19 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans goldfarb@ocf.berkeley.edu (David Goldfarb) - 2018-03-24 18:00 +0000
        Re: Societies of superhumans Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2018-03-25 09:57 -0700
  Re: Societies of superhumans Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> - 2018-03-23 07:08 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 07:39 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:20 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans lal_truckee <lal_truckee@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-25 08:51 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-25 16:51 +0000
        Re: Societies of superhumans Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> - 2018-03-25 10:16 -0700
          Re: Societies of superhumans Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2018-03-26 17:11 -0700
            Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-27 00:18 +0000
              Re: Societies of superhumans Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-03-26 19:59 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-27 05:55 +0000
                Re: Societies of superhumans Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> - 2018-03-27 05:29 -0600
                Re: Societies of superhumans D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-03-27 15:57 +0000
                Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 22:11 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-04-02 04:29 -0500
                Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 22:01 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 21:54 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2018-03-27 14:22 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans Johnny1A <johnny1a.again@gmail.com> - 2018-03-30 20:37 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans mcdowell_ag@sky.com - 2018-03-30 22:09 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-31 01:25 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> - 2018-03-31 05:51 -0700
                Re: Societies of superhumans Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-03-31 20:07 -0700
        Re: Societies of superhumans lal_truckee <lal_truckee@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-26 22:26 -0700
          Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-27 05:55 +0000
            Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 21:57 -0700
  Re: Societies of superhumans D B Davis <g@crcomp.net> - 2018-03-23 14:22 +0000
    Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:24 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 15:40 -0500
  Societies of superhumans Jack Bohn <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 07:39 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans Leo Sgouros <adravirgo@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 07:43 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-23 19:27 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2018-03-23 18:26 +0000
    Re: Societies of superhumans David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-04-02 04:37 -0500
  Re: Societies of superhumans David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-23 14:25 -0600
    Re: Societies of superhumans David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-04-02 04:49 -0500
  Re: Societies of superhumans "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp@sgeinc.invalid.com> - 2018-03-24 22:05 -0400
    Re: Societies of superhumans ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2018-03-25 03:21 +0000
      Re: Societies of superhumans Johnny1A <johnny1a.again@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 21:48 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-24 21:37 -0600
      Re: Societies of superhumans "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp@sgeinc.invalid.com> - 2018-03-27 07:34 -0400
        Re: Societies of superhumans The  Zygon <stafford.martin@gmail.com> - 2018-03-27 22:06 -0700
          Re: Societies of superhumans David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-04-02 04:52 -0500
        Re: Societies of superhumans Johnny1A <johnny1a.again@gmail.com> - 2018-03-30 20:33 -0700
          Re: Societies of superhumans "Sea Wasp (Ryk E. Spoor)" <seawasp@sgeinc.invalid.com> - 2018-03-31 10:17 -0400
            Re: Societies of superhumans mcdowell_ag@sky.com - 2018-03-31 08:50 -0700
              Re: Societies of superhumans David DeLaney <daviddelaney@earthlink.net> - 2018-04-02 04:54 -0500
            Re: Societies of superhumans Ahasuerus <ahasuerus@email.com> - 2018-03-31 09:40 -0700
            Re: Societies of superhumans Jack Bohn <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> - 2018-03-31 12:37 -0700
            Re: Societies of superhumans David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> - 2018-03-31 14:05 -0600
            Re: Societies of superhumans Johnny1A <johnny1a.again@gmail.com> - 2018-04-01 19:42 -0700
              Re: Societies of superhumans David Johnston <davidjohnston29@yahoo.com> - 2018-04-01 21:22 -0600
                Re: Societies of superhumans ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2018-04-02 03:57 +0000
  Re: Societies of superhumans Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 15:36 -0500
    Re: Societies of superhumans Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 14:15 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 16:22 -0500
        Re: Societies of superhumans Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> - 2018-03-26 14:34 -0700
    Re: Societies of superhumans Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> - 2018-03-26 14:25 -0700
      Re: Societies of superhumans Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> - 2018-03-26 16:28 -0500

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