Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Just… be self-aware. Pull back if you catch yourself thinking in absolutes, and trust us to intervene if you go off the deep end.
I would do it all again, and that’s really all you can ask of a decision.
Too many variables to calculate. That’s a chaotic system.” I think in my systems biology class it was referred to as exponential amplification of error through non-linear interactions. I like my explanation better.
I still believe in the tenets of Deiman. To seek out a worthy enemy and strike them down for their evil.” He trailed off. “But any enemy beyond monsters is not so simple. At every turn I see conflict against a complicated foe. We forgave the evils of many mages I would have killed on the field of battle, even while we were allied with a killer of children. Then the city of Litcliff became our enemy through greed.”
“The teachings of Deiman still resonate within my being, but hear me, I know they are insufficient for the coming conflict. I cannot fight every battle honestly. I cannot judge every enemy with the bright light of Deiman. I must change my beliefs to adapt to the reality of Davrar.” He made grasping hand gestures, as if reaching for something to hold onto. “But how? How should I forge my faith? I stand upon a precipice, and to misstep would be to lose my power.”
“By Quenfi’s flame, why does free will mean you don’t lie?” Nathan shrugged. “If you lie, you deny somebody a choice to act on the truth. You make the choice for them, denying them of their free will. If you respect their personhood, then you have to give them the full details and trust them to make the responsible choice.”
And – look, the problem with the real world is that you never know everything.” Life never boils down to a true trolley problem. There’s always complications.
“I stand as a rock in the tide. No storm will bend me, and no magic will break me.”
Nathan caught a few glimpses of reflected light from where the landmass met the water,
Oh, yeah. There should be a lens effect making very bright, distant reflections of sunlight.
One of the crew waved towards them, and Nathan waved back.
Alertness
Congratulations, you have developed the [Alertness] utility skill into [Forewarning]. Utility skill: [Forewarning]
