"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. The Final Circle of Paradise (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

"I only wanted to emphasize," I remarked, "that there is
still the problem of alcoholism, and the problem of narcotics."
Doctor Opir's interest in the conversation was visibly
ebbing. Apparently he imagined that I challenged his thesis
that science is a boon. To conduct an argument on this basis
naturally bored him, as though, for instance, he had been
affirming the salubriousness of ocean swimming and I was
contradicting him on the basis that I had almost drowned last
year.
"Well, of course..." he mumbled, studying his watch, "we
can't have it all at once.... You must admit, after all, that
it is the basic trend which is the most important.... Waiter!"
Doctor Opir had eaten well, had a good conversation -
professing progressive philosophy - felt well-satisfied, and I
decided not to press the matter, especially as I really didn't
give a hang about his progressive philosophy, while in the
matters which interested me the most, he probably would not be
concretely informed at all in the final analysis.
We paid up and went out of the restaurant. I inquired, "Do
you ]mow, Doctor, whose monument that is? Over there on the
plaza."
Doctor Opir gazed absent-mindedly. "Sure enough, it's a
monument," he said. "Somehow I overlooked it before.... Shall I
drop you somewhere?"
"Thank you, I prefer to walk."
"In that case, goodbye. It was a pleasure to meet you....
Of course it's hard to expect to convince you." He grimaced,
shifting a toothpick around his mouth. "But it would be
interesting to try. Perhaps you will attend my lecture? I begin
tomorrow at ten."
"Thank you," I said. "What is your topic?"
"Neo-optimist Philosophy. I will be sure to touch upon a
series of questions which we have so pithily discussed today."
"Thank you," I said again. "Most assuredly."
I watched as he went to his long automobile, collapsed in
the seat, puttered with the auto-driver control, fell back
against the seat back, and apparently dozed off instantly. The
car began to roll cautiously across the plaza and disappeared
in the shade and greenery of a side street.
Neo-optimism... Neo-hedonism... Neo-cretinism...
Neo-capitalism... "No evil without good," said the fox. So, I
have landed in the Country of the Boobs. It should he recorded
that the ratio of congenital fools does not vary as a function
of time. It should be interesting to determine what is
happening to the percentage of fools by conviction. Curious -
who assigned the title of Doctor to him? He is not the only
one! There must have been a whole flock of doctors who
ceremoniously granted that title to Neo-optimist Opir. However,
this occurs not only among philosophers.
I saw Rimeyer come into the hall and forgot Doctor Opir at