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Chapter 13
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They were now racing1 rapidly through the tunnel once more. Seldon decided2 to give voice to the question that had been nagging3 at him for the last hour or so.
"Why do you say the Galactic Empire is dying?"
Hummin turned to look at Seldon again. "As a journalist, I have statistics poured into me from all sides till theyre squeezing out of my ears. And Im allowed to publish very little of it. Trantors population is decreasing. Twenty-five years ago, it stood at almost forty-five billion. "Partly, this decrease is because of a decline in the birthrate. To be sure, Trantor never has had a high birthrate. If youll look about you when youre traveling on Trantor, you wont4 encounter very many children, considering the enormous population. But just the same its declining. Then too there is emigration. People are leaving Trantor in greater numbers than are arriving."
"Considering its large population," said Seldon, "thats not surprising."
"But its unusual just the same because it hasnt happened before. Again, all over the Galaxy5 trade is stagnating6. People think that because there are no rebellions at the moment and because things are quiet that all is well and that the difficulties of the past few centuries are over. However, political infighting, rebellions, and unrest are all signs of a certain vitality7 too. But now theres a general weariness. Its quiet, not because people are satisfied and prosperous, but because theyre tired and have given up."
"Oh, I dont know," said Seldon dubiously8.
"I do. And the antigrav phenomenon weve talked about is another case in point. We have a few gravitic lifts in operation, but new ones arent being constructed. Its an unprofitable venture and there seems no interest in trying to make it profitable. The rate of technological9 advance has been slowing for centuries and is down to a crawl now. In some cases, it has stopped altogether. Isnt this something youve noticed? After all, youre a mathematician10."
"I cant11 say Ive given the matter any thought."
"No one does. Its accepted. Scientists are very good these days at saying that things are impossible, impractical12, useless. They condemn13 any speculation14 at once. You, for instance--What do you think of psychohistory? It is theoretically interesting, but it is useless in any practical sense. Am I right?"
"Yes and no," said Seldon, annoyed. "It is useless in any practical sense, but not because my sense of adventure has decayed, I assure you. It really it useless."
"That, at least," said Hummin with a trace of sarcasm15, "is your impression in this atmosphere of decay in which all the Empire lives."
"This atmosphere of decay," said Seldon angrily, "is your impression. Is it possible that you are wrong?"
Hummin stopped and for a moment appeared thoughtful. Then he said, "Yes, I might be wrong. I am speaking only from intuition, from guesses. What I need is a working technique of psychohistory."
Seldon shrugged16 and did not take the bait. He said, "I dont have such a technique to give you.--But suppose youre right. Suppose the Empire it running down and will eventually stop and fall apart. The human species will still exist."
"Under what conditions, man? For nearly twelve thousand years, Trantor, under strong rulers, has largely kept the peace. Thereve been interruptions to that--rebellions, localized civil wars, tragedy in plenty--but, on the whole and over large areas, there has been peace. Why is Helicon so pro-Imperium? Your world, I mean. Because it is small and would be devoured17 by its neighbors were it not that the Empire keeps it secure."
"Are you predicting universal war and anarchy18 if the Empire fails?"
"Of course. Im not fond of the Emperor oooof the Imperial institutions in general, but I dont have any substitute for it. I dont know what else will keep the peace and Im not ready to let go until I have something else in hand."
Seldon said, "You talk as though you are in control of the Galaxy. You are not ready to let go? You must have something else in hand? Who are you to talk so?"
"Im speaking generally, figuratively," said Hummin. "Im not worried about Chetter Hummin personally. It might be said that the Empire will last my time; it might even show signs of improvement in my time. Declines dont follow a straight-line path. It may be a thousand years before the final crash and you might well imagine I would be dead then and, certainly, I will leave no descendants. As far as women are concerned, I have nothing but the occasional casual attachment19 and I have no children and intend to have none. I have given no hostages to fortune.--I looked you up after your talk, Seldon. You have no children either."
"I have parents and two brothers, but no children." He smiled rather weakly. "I was very attached to a woman at one time, but it seemed to her that I was attached more to my mathematics."
"Were you?"
"It didnt seem so to me, but it seemed so to her. So she left."
"And you have had no one since?"
"No. I remember the pain too clearly as yet."
"Well then, it might seem we could both wait out the matter and leave it to other people, well after our time, to suffer. I might have been willing to accept that earlier, but no longer. For now I have a tool; I am in command."
"Whats your tool?" asked Seldon, already knowing the answer.
"You!" said Hummin.
And because Seldon had known what Hummin would say, he wasted no time in being shocked or astonished. He simply shook his head and said, "You are quite wrong. I am no tool fit for use."
"Why not?"
Seldon sighed. "How often must I repeat it? Psychohistory is not a practical study. The difficulty is fundamental. All the space and time of the Universe would not suffice to work out the necessary problems."
"Are you certain of that?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Theres no question of your working out the entire future of the Galactic Empire, you know. You neednt trace out in detail the workings of every human being or even of every world. There are merely terrain20 questions you must answer: Will the Galactic Empire crash and, if so, when? What will be the condition of humanity afterward21? Can anything be done to prevent the crash or to ameliorate conditions afterward? These are comparatively simple questions, it seems to me."
Seldon shook his head and smiled sadly. "The history of mathematics is full of simple questions that had only the most complicated of answers--or none at all."
"Is there nothing to be done? I can see that the Empire is falling, but I cant prove it. All my conclusions are subjective22 and I cannot show that I am not mistaken. Because the view is a seriously unsettling one, people would prefer not to believe my subjective conclusion and nothing will be done to prevent the Fall or even to cushion it. You could prove the coming Fall or, for that matter, disprove it."
"But that is exactly what I cannot do. I cant find you proof where none exists. I cant make a mathematical system practical when it isnt. I cant find you two even numbers that will yield an odd number as a sum, no matter how vitally your all the Galaxy--may need that odd number."
Hummin said, "Well then, youre part of the decay. Youre ready to accept failure."
"What choice have I?"
"Cant you try? However useless the effort may seem to you to be, have you anything better to do with your life? Have you some worthier23 goal? Have you a purpose that will justify24 you in your own eyes to some greater extent?" Seldons eyes blinked rapidly. "Millions of worlds. Billions of cultures. Quadrillions of people. Decillions of interrelationships.--And you want me to reduce it to order."
"No, I want you to try. For the sake of those millions of worlds, billions of cultures, and quadrillions of people. Not for the Emperor. Not for Demerzel. For humanity."
"I will fail," said Seldon.
"Then we will be no worse off. Will you try?"
And against his will and not knowing why, Seldon heard himself say, "I will try."
And the course of his life was set.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 racing 1ksz3w     
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的
参考例句:
  • I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
  • The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 nagging be0b69d13a0baed63cc899dc05b36d80     
adj.唠叨的,挑剔的;使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评(某人)( nag的现在分词 );不断地烦扰或伤害(某人);无休止地抱怨;不断指责
参考例句:
  • Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
  • I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 wont peXzFP     
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯
参考例句:
  • He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
  • It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。
5 galaxy OhoxB     
n.星系;银河系;一群(杰出或著名的人物)
参考例句:
  • The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
  • The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。
6 stagnating 46c4025763e21f3b32abe0666497a0da     
v.停滞,不流动,不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得,干这份工作我没有长进。
  • ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时,国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句
7 vitality lhAw8     
n.活力,生命力,效力
参考例句:
  • He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后,身强体壮,充满活力。
  • He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。
8 dubiously dubiously     
adv.可疑地,怀疑地
参考例句:
  • "What does he have to do?" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事?”琴向觉民问道,她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He walked out fast, leaving the head waiter staring dubiously at the flimsy blue paper. 他很快地走出去,撇下侍者头儿半信半疑地瞪着这张薄薄的蓝纸。 来自辞典例句
9 technological gqiwY     
adj.技术的;工艺的
参考例句:
  • A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
  • Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今, 随着科技进步,生活节奏不断增快。
10 mathematician aoPz2p     
n.数学家
参考例句:
  • The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
  • The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。
11 cant KWAzZ     
n.斜穿,黑话,猛扔
参考例句:
  • The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
  • He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。
12 impractical 49Ixs     
adj.不现实的,不实用的,不切实际的
参考例句:
  • He was hopelessly impractical when it came to planning new projects.一到规划新项目,他就完全没有了实际操作的能力。
  • An entirely rigid system is impractical.一套完全死板的体制是不实际的。
13 condemn zpxzp     
vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑
参考例句:
  • Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他,而有些人谴责他。
  • We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。
14 speculation 9vGwe     
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机
参考例句:
  • Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
  • There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。
15 sarcasm 1CLzI     
n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic)
参考例句:
  • His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
  • She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。
16 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
17 devoured af343afccf250213c6b0cadbf3a346a9     
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光
参考例句:
  • She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志,还是报纸,只要能弄得到,她都看得津津有味。
  • The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。
18 anarchy 9wYzj     
n.无政府状态;社会秩序混乱,无秩序
参考例句:
  • There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察,社会就会无法无天。
  • The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。
19 attachment POpy1     
n.附属物,附件;依恋;依附
参考例句:
  • She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
  • She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。
20 terrain sgeyk     
n.地面,地形,地图
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。
21 afterward fK6y3     
adv.后来;以后
参考例句:
  • Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏,然后吃饭。
  • Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来,这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
22 subjective mtOwP     
a.主观(上)的,个人的
参考例句:
  • The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
  • A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。
23 worthier 309910ce145fa0bfb651b2b8ce1095f6     
应得某事物( worthy的比较级 ); 值得做某事; 可尊敬的; 有(某人或事物)的典型特征
参考例句:
  • I am sure that you might be much, much worthier of yourself.' 我可以肯定你能非常非常值得自己骄傲。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
  • I should like the chance to fence with a worthier opponent. 我希望有机会跟实力相当的对手击剑。
24 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护
参考例句:
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗?


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