Week Nine
The Final Frontier
My reading for this week was The Star by Arthur C. Clarke. This is a
really short story about a space scientist explorer on a voyage that has seen
the last remnants of an advanced society that has gone extinct. This distant
societies sun has exploded and become a white dwarf star, wiping out the entire
people of this civilization. Before their extinction they managed to preserve
records of their culture on their solar systems equivalent of Pluto. The
protagonist of the story is a Jesuit priest scientist who’s faith has been
shaken to the core by the voyage.
The narrator is confronted
with the difficult problem of faith and religion vs. science and technology. At
the start of the story Clarke writes about a crucifix hanging on the wall above
the Mark VI computer. The cross vs the computer symbolizes the Jesuit priests
struggle to reconcile his science with his faith.
The reveal of what has shaken
the priests faith to the core is delivered in the very last paragraph. It is a
new understanding of the star of Bethlehem story. That the supernova that has caused
this entire culture to go extinct should be the star of Bethlehem seems to be a
cruel choice even for the most malevolent god.
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