This Novel Is Fiction, Except For The

Nobody Is Driven By Abstractions Like 'seeking Truth.

The Academic World Was Marching Toward Ever More Specialized Knowledge, Expressed In Ever More Dense Jargon.

Sneaking Up On It Sometimes Helps: I've Found I Can Be Very Productive For An Hour Before Dinner, Because There Obviously Isn't Enough Time To Really Do Anything, So I Can Tell Myself I'm Just Screwing Around.

Although Knowledge Of How Things Work Is Sufficient To Allow Manipulation Of Nature, What Humans Really Want To Know Is Why Things Work. Children Don't Ask How The Sky Is Blue. They Ask Why The Sky Is Blue.

People Were So Naive About Plants, Ellie Thought. They Just Chose Plants For Appearance, As They Would Choose A Picture For The Wall. It Never Occurred To Them That Plants Were Actually Living Things, Busily Performing All The Living Functions Of Respiration, Ingestion, Excretion, Reproduction---and Defense.