[Dragaera] Sethra and Paarfi

[Philip Hart]

On Mon, 28 Apr 2008, Tom Foolery wrote:

> Of course, if you would like to define which aspect of the word theory you
> wish to use, please let me know.  I was using it in a badly bastardized
> version of a mathematical theory/proof.

We're not doing anything like as rigorous as math, and if we were your use
of the word would be even more of a solecism.

> My apologies!  These darn words, so subjective in their use...

Well, no.  Setting aside formal logic as irrelevant here, "theory" is a 
word from science referring to a coherent set of explanations for a set
of data - a theory can be disproved, not proved, and an attack on an 
argument among many in the theory won't disprove it.  You can of course 
argue that the subject at hand is only really a hypothesis that way.


>> Elsewhere in the thread, note that Rushdie did not anticipate having
>> to spend a decade hiding in fear of his life.
>>
> Which could be why we won't be seeing many Paarfi novels from here on out,
> no?

We've read several of Paarfi's Histories following the (normally) 
unbearable aspersions cast on Morrolan in _TPotD_.


>> Why might the Histories be accurate?

>
> Why must they be true?  Why must they make sense?

They don't have to, but they might, and if one wishes to read the Texts
as something, well, legible, it's useful to come up with reasons why one 
should think so.  Otherwise, given SKZB's interest in story as mutable
substance, one is liable to end up with the Texts being a sea of chaotic
words (however pleasingly arranged on the page) and little more.


> While it may be that I am asking simple questions, haven't we
> already seen that Paarfi would indeed lie?

Not that I know of.

> Pardon, say that others are mistaken in their memories?

So what?

> He has admitted to making stuff up.

Not that I know of, certainly not beyond the Thucydidean sense.

There's one plain error in _TPG_, but I wave that away as an artifact
of the imperfect condition of the version of the Text as it came to us.