"Ken MacLeod - A Case of Consilience" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacLeod Ken)

"What?" Major Bernstein looked up from her interface, blinking.

"Here." Qasim tapped the desktop, transferring a file from his finger.

"What's this?"

"His private notes."

The major frowned. She didn't like Qasim. She didn't like spying on the troops. She didn't care who
knew it. Qasim knew all this. So did Brussels. She didn't know that.

"What are your grounds?" she asked.

"He spoke a little wildly in the mess last night."

"Heaven help us all, in that case," said the Major.

Qasim said nothing.

"All right." Bernstein tabbed through the notes, skimming to the first passage Qasim had highlighted.

" 'Worst first,' " she read out. " 'The undetectable entities. No coherent communication. (Worst case: try
exorcism???!) Next: colonial organisms. Mycoidal. Translations speculative. Molecular grammar. Query
their concept of person-hood. Also of responsibility. If this can be established: rational nature. Fallen
nature. If they have a moral code that they do not live up to? Any existing religious concepts? Next:
discrete animalia. Opposite danger here: anthropomorphism. (Cf. Dominican AI mission fiasco.)
Conclusion: use mycoids as test case to establish consilience.'" She blinked the script away, and stared at
Qasim. "Well? What's the harm in that?"


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 MacLeod, Ken - A Case of Consilience


"He's been hanging around the team working on the my-coids. If you read on, you'll find he intends to
preach Christianity to them."

"To the scientists?"

"To the mycoids."

"Oh!" Major Bernstein laughed. It was a sound that began and ended abruptly, like a fall of broken glass,
and felt as cutting. "If he can get any message through to them, he'll be doing better than the scientists.
And unless you, my overzealous mukhabaratchik, can find any evidence that Dr. Maclntyre is sowing
religious division in the ranks, practicing rituals involving animal cruelty or non-consensual sexual acts,
preaching Market Maoism or New Republicanism or otherwise aiding and abetting the Chinks or the
Yanks, I warn you most seriously to not waste your time or mine. Do I make myself quite clear?"

"Entirely, ma'am."