"Robert Reed - Night Calls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

тАЬThe core is iron,тАЭ he agreed, laughing without much heart. тАЬThose
old fools happened to get one puzzle right.тАЭ

тАЬтАШFerrumтАЩ comes from the Fifth Day.тАЭ She looked past her newest
lover, concentrating with her usual intensity. тАЬThat was when the Boy
Emperor conquered half of the worldтАЩs land. Then the Sixth Day began, and
an obscure tribe marched across a slightly different half of everything. And
then the Seventh Day emerged from the darkness, and the Pale Prophet
appeared, claiming to have walked with the True God who told Him to
subjugate the world.тАЭ

тАЬWhich those zealots nearly did,тАЭ Ferrum interjected.

тАЬAnd then that Day came to its end, and my ancestor stumbled out of
the desert, inspiring a holy war that set the scene for our very long Day.тАЭ

The young woman had a temper. While it was popular to deny the
value of stereotypes, Rabiah nonetheless fit the model of her people: She
was passionate with a preference for strong opinions. Suggesting she was
wrong, even in the most minimal fashion, brought the risk that she would
explode with hard words or even a few defiant slaps delivered to her loverтАЩs
bare chest.

Ferrum managed to restrain his mouth.

тАЬOf course neither of us Believes,тАЭ she continued. тАЬYet donтАЩt we
assume that people should be good to one another, even if it serves their
own selfish interests? DonтАЩt you hunger for a world where ethics have teeth
and decent, generous citizens are called godly?тАЭ

He continued to say nothing.

тАЬAnd now look at the rules and rituals embedded in our major faiths.
What do you find waiting there? Codes and commandmentsтАФa set of
principles that pave the path to excellence.тАЭ
 Ferrum was breathing deeply, staring at the bland, water-stained
ceiling above his bed.

тАЬYou and I are creatures of science,тАЭ she continued. тАЬBut what is
science? And by that, I am asking what it is that our discipline assumes,
first and before anything else?тАЭ

тАЬEvidence,тАЭ he offered. тАЬScience demands evidence.тАЭ

тАЬIt needs evidence to live, but thatтАЩs not what it assumes.тАЭ She
paused for a moment, carefully considering her next words. тАЬThe universe
has order and meaning. Before anything, science must believe in that. What
is true here, on our tiny patch of ground, has to apply everywhere. Scientific
principles must be uniform and fair. Because if they are not fair, whereтАЩs the