"Ray Vukcevich - Giant Step" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vukcevich Ray)

night sky.

тАЬWell, suppose you want to move from here to, say, Mr. WilsonтАЩs Store.тАЭ
Gregory pointed at the small grocery occupying the bottom floor of an otherwise
gutted building at the end of the block. тАЬTo do that surely youтАЩll admit youтАЩd have
to go through a point that is halfway between here and there. Say, that big pile of
steaming garbage in front of the gun shop. Where the dogs are?тАЭ

тАЬYeah. So?тАЭ The policeman said.

тАЬWell, to get to the pile of steaming garbage, Officer, surely you can see
youтАЩd first have to go through some point that is halfway between here and the
garbage, say that broken fire hydrant.тАЭ

тАЬYeah, okay, first I walk to the fire hydrant, then I walk to the garbage, then I
walk to WilsonтАЩs store. So whatтАЩs the problem?тАЭ

тАЬBut to get to the fire hydrant, youтАЩd have to walk through a point that is
halfway between here and the fire hydrant. Right?тАЭ

тАЬI suppose.тАЭ

тАЬBut to get to that point, youтАЩd have to walk to a point thatтАЩs halfway between
those two points and to get to that point youтАЩd have to walk to a point that was
halfway between those two points and so on and so on.тАЭ

The policeman didnтАЩt look happy, and Gregory thought maybe heтАЩd made a
big mistake talking about Zeno. What if paradoxes pissed off the police? Gregory
pushed on anyway. What else could he do? Just go silent?

тАЬNo matter how small the distance, Officer, you still have to first move
through the halfway point. So not only can you not move from here to Mr. WilsonтАЩs
store, you canтАЩt move away from here at all. And thatтАЩs why we canтАЩt move along.тАЭ

тАЬI think maybe IтАЩll honk you with my stick, Professor,тАЭ the policeman said.

тАЬBut it wouldnтАЩt be a real bonk, would it, Officer?тАЭ Nancy asked. She reached
out and patted the policemanтАЩs knee. Nancy, tough as nails in the old days, a
deconstructor of Brontes and cooker of fiery curries, had nonetheless taken
instruction from the streets and could now do a respectable grandmother whenever
the occasion demanded.
 тАЬWhat do you mean, Nancy?тАЭ Gregory sounded nervous and he kept an eye
on the policemanтАЩs nightstick.

тАЬWell,тАЭ Nancy said, still smiling at the young policeman, тАЬif motion is
impossible, yet we still perceive motion, it must mean that we are deceived. What we
see is an illusion. If the officer hits you with his stick, youтАЩll only think it hurts.тАЭ

тАЬIdealism,тАЭ Gregory said, making the word sound like another name for utter
nonsense.