Mosala hesitated, then said carefully, "Suppose every human being was wiped off the face of the planet tomorrow, and we waited a few million years for the next species with a set of religious and scientific cultures to arise. What do you think the new religions would have in common with the old ones—the ones from our time? I suspect the only common ground would be certain ethical principles which could be traced to shared biological influences: sexual reproduction, child rearing, the advantages of altruism, the awareness of death. And if the biology was very different, there might be no overlap at all.
"But if we waited for the new scientific culture to come up with their idea of a TOE, then I believe that—however different it looked 'on paper'—it would be something which either culture would be able to show was mathematically equivalent in every respect to our TOE… just as any physics undergraduate can prove that all the forms of Maxwell's Equations describe exactly the same thing.
"That's the difference. Scientists may start off disagreeing wildly—but they converge on a consensus, regardless of their culture. There are physicists at this conference from over a hundred different countries. Their ancestors three thousand years ago might have had twenty or thirty mutually contradictory explanations between them for any phenomenon you care to think of in the natural world. And yet there are only
Parker appeared dissatisfied with this reply, but he took his seat.
"Lisbeth Weller, GninWeisheit. It seems to me that your whole approach to these issues reflects a male, Western, reductionist, left-brained mode of thought." Weller was a tall, sober-looking woman, who sounded genuinely saddened and perplexed. "How can you possibly reconcile this with your struggle as an African woman against cultural imperialism?"
Mosala said evenly, "I have no interest in surrendering the most powerful intellectual tools I possess, because of some quaint misconception that they're the property of any particular group of people: male, Western, or otherwise. As I said, the history of science is one of convergence toward a shared understanding of the universe—and I'm not willing to be excluded from that convergence for any reason. And as for 'left-brained modes of thought,' I'm afraid that's a rather dated—and reductionist—concept. Personally, I use the whole organ."
There was loud applause from the fans, but it sounded plaintive as it died out. The atmosphere in the room was changing: becoming strained, polarized. Weller, I knew, was a proud member of Mystical Renaissance—and although most journalists here would have no cult affiliation, the minority with strong anti-science sentiments could still make their presence felt.
"William Savimbi, Proteus Information. You speak approvingly of a convergence of ideas which has no respect for ancestral cultures—as if your own heritage were of no importance to you at all. Is it true that you received death threats from the Pan-African Cultural Defense Front, after you publicly stated that you didn't consider yourself to
Mosala struggled visibly to contain her anger. She reached into a pocket and took out her notepad, and began typing on the keyboard.
Without pausing, she said, "Mr. Savimbi, if you find the technology of your profession too daunting, perhaps you should look for something less challenging.
She held up the notepad, and her recorded voice said: "I don't wake up every morning and say to myself: 'I'm an African woman, how should this be reflected in my work?' I don't think that way at all. I wonder if anyone asked Dr. Wozniak how being European influenced his approach to polymer synthesis."
There was more applause—from more of the audience, this time—but I sensed a growing predatory undercurrent. Mosala was becoming visibly agitated, and however sympathetic the pack were—in principle—I had no doubt that they'd be overjoyed if she was provoked into losing control.
"Janet Walsh, Planet News. Ms. Mosala, perhaps you could clarify something for me. This Theory of Everything you keep talking about, which is going to sum up the final truth about the universe… it sounds absolutely wonderful to me, but I would like to hear exactly what it's based on."
