Dors was right. Breakfast was by no means bad. There was something that was unmistakably eggy and the meat was pleasantly smoked. The chocolate drink (Trantor was strong on chocolate and Seldon did not mind that) was probably synthetic1, but it was tasty and the breakfast rolls were good. He felt is only right to say as much. "This has been a very pleasant breakfast. Food. Surroundings. Everything."
"Im delighted you think so," said Dors.
Seldon looked about. There were a bank of windows in one wall and while actual sunlight did not enter (he wondered if, after a while, he would learn to be satisfied with diffuse2 daylight and would cease to look for patches of sunlight in a room), the place was light enough. In fact, it was quite bright, for the local weather computer had apparently3 decided4 is was time for a sharp, clear day.
The cables were arranged for four apiece and most were occupied by the full number, but Dors and Seldon remained alone at theirs. Dors had called over some of the men and women and had introduced them. All had been polite, but none had joined them. Undoubtedly5, Dors intended that to be so, but Seldon did not see how she managed to arrange it.
He said, "You havent introduced me to any mathematicians7, Dors."
"I havent seen any that I know. Most mathematicians start the day early and have classes by eight. My own feeling is that any student so foolhardy as to take mathematics wants to get that part of the course over with as soon as possible."
"I take it youre not a mathematician6 yourself."
"Anything but," said Dors with a short laugh. "Anything. History is my field. Ive already published some studies on the rise of Trantor--I mean the primitive8 kingdom, not this world. I suppose that will end up as my field of specialization--Royal Trantor."
"Wonderful," said Seldon.
"Wonderful?" Dors looked at him quizzically. "Are you interested in Royal Trantor too?"
"In a way, yes. That and other things like that. Ive never really studied history and I should have."
"Should you? If you had studied history, youd scarcely have had time to study mathematics and mathematicians are very much needed--especially at this University. Were full to here with historians," she said, raising her hand to her eyebrows9, "and economists10 and political scientists, but were short on science and mathematics. Chetter Hummin pointed11 that out to me once. He called it the decline of science and seemed to think it was a general phenomenon."
Seldon said, "Of course, when I say I should have studied history, I dont mean that I should have made it a life work. I meant I should have studied enough to help me in my mathematics. My field of specialization is the mathematical analysis of social structure."
"Sounds horrible."
"In a way, it is. Its very complicated and without my knowing a great deal more about how societies evolved its hopeless. My picture is too static, you see."
"I cant12 see because I know nothing about it. Chetter told me you were developing something called psychohistory and that it was important. Have I got it right? Psychohistory?"
"Thats right. I should have called it psychosociology, but it seemed to me that was too ugly a word. Or perhaps I knew instinctively13 that a knowledge of history was necessary and then didnt pay sufficient attention to my thoughts."
"Psychohistory does sound better, but I dont know what it is."
"I scarcely do myself." He brooded a few minutes, looking at the woman on the other side of the table and feeling that she might make this exile of his seem a little less like an exile. He thought of the other woman he had known a few years ago, but blocked it off with a determined14 effort. If he ever found another companion, it would have to be one who understood scholarship and what it demanded of a person.
To get his mind onto a new track, he said, "Chetter Hummin told me that the University is in no way troubled by the government."
"Hes right."
Seldon shook his head. "That seems rather unbelievably forbearing of the Imperial government. The educational institutions on Helicon are by no means so independent of governmental pressures."
"Nor on Cinna. Nor on any Outworld, except perhaps for one or two of the largest. Trantor is another matter."
"Yes, but why?"
"Because its the center of the Empire. The universities here have enormous prestige. Professionals are turned out by any university anywhere, but the administrators15 of the Empire--the high officials, the countless17 millions of people who represent the tentacles18 of Empire reaching into every corner of the Galaxy--are educated right here on Trantor."
"Ive never seen the statistics--" began Seldon.
"Take my word for it. It is important that the officials of the Empire have some common ground, some special feeling for the Empire. And they cant all be native Trantorians or else the Outworlds would grow restless. For that reason, Trantor must attract millions of Outworlders for education here. It doesnt matter where they come from or what their home accent or culture may be, as long as they pick up the Trantorian patina19 and identify themselves with a Trantorian educational background. Thats what holds the Empire together. The Outworlds are also less restive20 when a noticeable portion of the administrators who represent the Imperial government are their own people by birth and upbringing."
Seldon felt embarrassed again. This was something he had never given any thought to. He wondered if anyone could be a truly great mathematician if mathematics was all he knew. He said, "Is this common knowledge?"
"I suppose it isnt," said Dors after some thought. "Theres so much knowledge to be had that specialists cling to their specialties21 as a shield against having to know anything about anything else. They avoid being drowned."
"Yet you know it."
"But thats my specialty22. Im a historian who deals with the rise of Royal Trantor and this administrative23 technique was one of the ways in which Trantor spread its influence and managed the transition from Royal Trantor to Imperial Trantor."
Seldon said, almost as though muttering to himself, "How harmful overspecialization is. It cuts knowledge at a million points and leaves it bleeding."
Dors shrugged24. "What can one do?--But you see, if Trantor is going to attract Outworlders to Trantorian universities, it has to give them something in return for uprooting25 themselves and going to a strange world with an incredibly artificial structure and unusual ways. Ive been here two years and Im still not used to it. I may never get used to it. But then, of course, I dont intend to be an administrator16, so Im not forcing myself to be a Trantorian.
"And what Trantor offers in exchange is not only the promise of a position with high status, considerable power, and money, of course, but also freedom. While students are having their--education, they are free to denounce the government, demonstrate against it peacefully, work out their own theories and points of view. They enjoy that and many come here so that they can experience the sensation of liberty."
"I imagine," said Seldon, "that it helps relieve pressure as well. They work off all their resentments26, enjoy all the smug self-satisfaction a young revolutionary would have, and by the time they take their place in the Imperial hierarchy27, they are ready to settle down into conformity28 and obedience29."
Dors nodded. "You may be right. In any case, the government, for all these reasons, carefully preserves the freedom of the universities. Its not a matter of their being forbearing at all--only clever."
"And if youre not going to be an administrator, Dors, what are you going to be?"
"A historian. Ill teach, put book-films of my own into the programming."
"Not much status, perhaps."
"Not much money, Hari, which is more important. As for status, thats the sort of push and pull Id just as soon avoid. Ive seen many people with status, but Im still looking for a happy one. Status wont30 sit still under you; you have to continually fight to keep from sinking. Even Emperors manage to come to bad ends most of the time. Someday I may just go back to Cinna and be a professor."
"And a Trantorian education will give you status."
Dors laughed. "I suppose so, but on Cinna who would care? Its a dull world, full of farms and with lots of cattle, both four-legged and two-legged."
"Wont you find it dull after Trantor?"
"Yes, thats what Im counting on. And if it gets too dull, I can always wangle a grant to go here or there to do a little historical research. Thats the advantage of my field."
"A mathematician, on the other hand," said Seldon with a trace of bitterness at something that had never before bothered him, "is expected to sit at his computer and think. And speaking of computers--" He hesitated. Breakfast was done and it seemed to him more than likely she had some duties of her own to attend to.
But she did not seem to be in any great hurry to leave. "Yes? Speaking of computers?"
"Would I be able to get permission to use the history library?"
Now it was she who hesitated. "I think that can be arranged. If you work on mathematics programming, youll probably be viewed as a quasi-member of the faculty31 and I could ask for you to be given permission. Only--"
"Only?"
"I dont want to hurt your feelings, but youre a mathematician and you say you know nothing about history. Would you know how to make use of a history library?"
Seldon smiled. "I suppose you use computers very much like those in a mathematics library."
"We do, but the programming for each specialty has quirks32 of its own. You dont know the standard reference book-films, the quick methods of winnowing33 and skipping. You may be able to find a hyperbolic interval34 in the dark ..."
"You mean hyperbolic integral," interrupted Seldon softly.
Dors ignored him. "But you probably wont know how to get the terms of the Treaty of Poldark in less than a day and a half."
"I suppose I could learn."
"If ... if ..." She looked a little troubled. "If you want to, I can make a suggestion. I give a weeks course--one hour each day, no credit--on library use. Its for undergraduates. Would you feel it beneath your dignity to sit in on such a course--with undergraduates, I mean? It starts in three weeks."
"You could give me private lessons." Seldon felt a little surprised at the suggestive tone that had entered his voice.
She did not miss it. "I dare say I could, but I think youd be better off with more formal instruction. Well be using the library, you understand, and at the end of the week you will be asked to locate information on particular items of historical interest. You will be competing with the other students all through and that will help you learn. Private tutoring will be far less efficient, I assure you. However, I understand the difficulty of competing with undergraduates. If you dont do as well as they, you may feel humiliated35. You must remember, though, that they have already studied elementary history and you, perhaps, may not have."
"I havent. No may about it. But I wont be afraid to compete and I wont mind any humiliation36 that may come along--if I manage to learn the tricks of the historical reference trade."
It was clear to Seldon that he was beginning to like this young woman and that he was gladly seizing on the chance to be educated by her. He was also aware of the fact that he had reached a turning point in his mind. He had promised Hummin to attempt to work out a practical psychohistory, but that had been a promise of the mind and not the emotions. Now he was determined to seize psychohistory by the throat if he had to--in order to make it practical. That, perhaps, was the influence of Dors Venabili. Or had Hummin counted on that? Hummin, Seldon decided, might well be a most formidable person.
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1
synthetic
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| adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品 | |
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diffuse
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| v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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6
mathematician
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| n.数学家 | |
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mathematicians
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| 数学家( mathematician的名词复数 ) | |
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8
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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economists
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| n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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cant
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| n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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administrators
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| n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师 | |
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16
administrator
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| n.经营管理者，行政官员 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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tentacles
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| n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛 | |
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19
patina
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| n.铜器上的绿锈，年久而产生的光泽 | |
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restive
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| adj.不安宁的，不安静的 | |
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specialties
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| n.专门，特性，特别；专业( specialty的名词复数 )；特性；特制品；盖印的契约 | |
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specialty
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| n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长 | |
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administrative
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| adj.行政的，管理的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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uprooting
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| n.倒根，挖除伐根v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的现在分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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resentments
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| （因受虐待而）愤恨，不满，怨恨( resentment的名词复数 ) | |
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hierarchy
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| n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层 | |
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conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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quirks
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| n.奇事，巧合( quirk的名词复数 )；怪癖 | |
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33
winnowing
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| v.扬( winnow的现在分词 )；辨别；选择；除去 | |
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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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35
humiliated
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| 感到羞愧的 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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