Quest for Knowledge (Volume 1 of the FirstWorld Saga) by Christopher Jackson-Ash (chromebook ebook reader txt) 📖

you were in the scheme of things. After all, it was your urging that had led to the forging of Fleischaker. Unfortunately, I was blind to the future at that time and I lost a great opportunity to discuss things with you. Anyway, perhaps it was just as well and all meant to be, considering where they sent you next and what happened there.”

The events of so long ago for Manfred had been so recent for Simon. Manfred felt for the boy’s situation. If only things could have been different.

“Did you never wonder why there were seven Great Sages?”

Manfred had never thought to ask that question. There had always been seven Great Sages. “I hadn’t given it any thought,” he said.

“Did it never strike you as odd that the Great Old Ones, who were trying to achieve balance, would create seven Great Sages? After all, half of the wizards were supposed to represent Jeohab and half Satania. If decisions came to the vote, one side would always win.”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem odd. You were the seventh Great Sage, the only one representing the letter D. I always thought that you were Satania’s chosen one. Was I correct?” I can barely remember his twin. I wish I could forget Mandred as easily.

“It was an illusion. You were meant to think that. Before I say any more, let me ask you another question. Do you believe in a probabilistic multiverse or a deterministic one?”

Manfred considered the question for a moment before replying. “It is a question that I have pondered long and often over the millennia. I have wondered whether my decisions would have any impact or whether everything is preordained. I don’t have a firm answer, but I have to believe in a probabilistic multiverse, otherwise I would have given up long ago. Certain things are deterministic, of course. Day always follows night, there is zero probability that the sun will not rise in the west tomorrow; except on the last day of our existence.”

“Quite so. Another question for you. Do you think that planet Earth has the only intelligent life in the universe?” Dammar asked.

“I imagine all of these questions are linked in some way?” Although, I fail to see it just at the moment. Better to humour him, I suppose. “If it is a probabilistic universe, I would imagine that the probability is high that there are other intelligent races out there. The Great Old Ones came from this universe, after all.” It seemed strange to Manfred to be discussing issues of such complex philosophy with a seemingly callow, almost naked youth. He had to remind himself that he was actually talking to one of the original Great Sages in a different physical form.

The beautiful youth looked at him and sighed. “If only it were as simple as you would like to think. You have travelled widely in the multiverse. Have you ever come across a realm where the Earth has been visited by aliens?” Manfred shook his head. “I thought not. Neither have I. Many realms have almost reached the end of time, as we know it, yet no human being has ever met an alien. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Well, we are living in a nondescript solar system, at the edge of a very large galaxy. We are rather off the beaten track,” Manfred ventured.

“There are realms where humans have developed faster than light travel and have visited countless stars and planets. No intelligent life has ever been found and very few planets with any life at all have been identified. It seems to me that the conditions necessary for life to develop are very specific and are very unlikely to occur. They might only take place a handful of times in the entire galaxy. The probability that primitive life would develop into intelligent life would also be tiny. I surmise that each galaxy might only give rise to a very few intelligent species during its entire existence. Yet here on FirstWorld we have at least four different species. It doesn’t sound very likely, does it?” Manfred assumed it was a rhetorical question and let Dammar continue.

“I was fortunate or unfortunate enough, amongst all of the wizards to actually meet the Great Old Ones.” Dammar paused for effect. Manfred controlled himself and managed to show no external emotion though inwardly he was impressed, and bursting with curiosity. “They had developed from primitive life on a planet on the other side of the galaxy. They had managed, against the odds, to survive and reach full maturity. In the end, they outgrew this universe and went off to explore new horizons. Their greatest achievement, in my view, was to understand the need for balance in everything. Without balance, there is perennial conflict. This conflict prevents a species from achieving its potential.”

“Many would say that some conflict is essential to drive progress.” Manfred interrupted Dammar’s flow with his comment.

“Once again, it’s all about achieving balance. The Great Old Ones understood that the natural law of the universe is for order to decay into chaos. The gradual increase of entropy cannot be prevented.”

“The second law of thermodynamics only applies to closed systems,” Manfred interrupted again. “If the universe is infinite then it would not apply.”

“The Great Old Ones indicated that the universe was finite and that time was linear. However, they postulated that time travel was possible but extremely hazardous. As a civilisation, they had taken a moral decision not to attempt to travel in time and meddle with past and future probabilities. They held a view that the universe was, at one extreme deterministic and at the other totally chaotic. If you like, the two extremes represented the probabilities of zero and one. It is essentially impossible to have a fully deterministic universe. There are simply too many variables to control. However, absolute Law seeks to achieve that objective. It is also certain that at some point in the future the entropy in the universe will reach a maximum. At that point, the universe as we know it will cease to exist. What will happen then is uncertain. Perhaps it will simply exist as a completely chaotic system. Perhaps it will result in another big bang, the slate will be wiped clean, and a new universe will be formed. What is important, I think, is that entropy only goes in one direction. It increases. This increase in entropy defines the direction of time. The Great Old Ones left us with a finite, but expanding, universe and a unidirectional flow of time.”

“When they were a young race, they had believed in various gods in order to explain their place in the universe. As they evolved, they realised that gods were simply the creations of lesser beings. Ultimately, they evolved into beings that most others would consider to be gods. They were to us as we are to a mound of termites. As advanced as they were, they were not omniscient. They had not answered the fundamental questions of how and why the universe began and why they were a part of it. ‘Why am I here?’ seems to be a fundamental question inherent to all intelligent life. Perhaps it is the ability to ask that question that defines sentience. Perhaps the reason the Great Old Ones left our universe was to seek the answers to those questions. Anyway, they developed the concept of the Balance. They postulated that if a society could achieve a healthy balance between order and chaos, it would develop and evolve effectively. There was a completely deterministic pathway that was designated by fate. If one took that path, one had no control over one’s destiny. There was an infinite number of other possible paths, all defined by different probabilities. Only one pathway, a linear timeline, existed through those probabilities. In other words, there was only one reality. Once a probability had been determined, it would exist forever. How am I going? Are you keeping up with me?”

Manfred was beginning to get a headache. “I think so. I’m confused though. If they didn’t believe in gods, how did they explain the deterministic probability, or fate?”

“They didn’t have to. Because it represents a probability of zero, it can’t exist.” Now Manfred’s head really started pounding. Something exists, but it can’t exist. I think my old brain is going senile. “Don’t worry about it. It will become clearer. Think about it as a predefined pathway each individual has for his or her life. If we all followed those pathways, the universe would stagnate. Entropy would not increase. The laws of physics would be broken. Therefore, it cannot happen, much as many people would like to believe it could. Absolute Law imposes a set of rules on society so that it does not evolve. It seeks to impose a set of probabilities on everyone. Such societies, whether they are driven by religious or political beliefs are doomed to fail because people can only tolerate it for a short time. Absolute Chaos, on the other hand, is complete anarchy. Everyone behaves just how he or she feels like. There are no structures or rules. Society implodes and destroys itself. The Great Old Ones postulated that such a society would be inevitable before maximum entropy were achieved. They did not wish to be a part of it.”

“It is a dismal future.” Manfred was depressed by Dammar’s description.

“Perhaps, but if entropy can be slowed, it can be postponed for a long long time. And when it finally arrives, it can be thought of as a moment of rebirth and therefore a positive thing. That’s where the Balance comes in. In my opinion, the Balance was the Great Old One’s version of God. Perhaps every species, however powerful and evolved needs to believe in something greater than itself. The Balance represents the pathway of best probability. It can be achieved by applying appropriate moral, ethical, and legal codes to every decision one makes. There is not one set of codes that applies globally. Each society must develop its own codes. If you create a garden and then do not tend it, the weeds will eventually take over. Keeping it free of weeds can be hard work. Sometimes it’s too hard and we give up. If we take the right precautions, like mulching our flowerbeds, we can reduce the effort needed to keep it on track. Life is like a flowerbed, if we tend it well we will have a beautiful display. If we fail to look after it, the flowers will be stunted and soon die. Some of us will achieve balance by organic means. Others will impose order by the use of dangerous herbicides and pesticides that achieve our immediate aims but cause greater long-term damage to the environment. It’s a tough universe.”

“It certainly is, in my experience,” Manfred agreed. “I don’t see where good and evil fit in. I find that there’s a general belief that Law is good and Chaos is evil.”

“If there were no evil in the universe, it would be much easier to achieve balance. Evil usually causes us to move more rapidly towards chaos, but Chaos is not intrinsically evil nor is Law intrinsically good. Goodness is difficult to define and it means different things to different people. Because what society holds to be “good” is often imposed by a legal system, we see an attachment between goodness and Law. The eternal battle between ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ is often confused with the equally eternal battle between ‘Law’ and ‘Chaos’.”

Dammar picked up a salt pot from the coffee table. “Consider salt.” He looked at Manfred. “Is it intrinsically good or evil?” He didn’t wait for Manfred’s response. “Salt is essential for our diet. Without salt we would die. It is inherently good for us. If we try to eat it by itself, it is disgusting. When we add it to our food, it enhances the flavour. If we eat too much, though, it is bad for