Free Essay

The Star Info

In: English and Literature

Submitted By Clonbrock
Words 968
Pages 4
THE STAR
Clarke’s story places the human race in an intergalactic context that suggests that the planet Earth and its inhabitants may not be all that important in the cosmic scheme of things.
Religion, and in particular religious faith, are central themes in “The Star.”
The narrative is the interior monologue of the central character, a Jesuit astrophysicist. He is aboard a star ship on a mission to investigate the causes of a supernova in a distant galaxy. He and the rest of the crew discover the artefacts of a highly developed civilization, carefully preserved on the only planet that remains in orbit around the supernova
— the explosion of a star, during which it burns with an intensity and a luminosity that may be a billion times that of the Earth’s sun. Following such an explosion, a star becomes a white dwarf, a body of very dense matter.
Knowing that all life would be wiped out when their sun flared into a supernova, this race of sentient beings left a record of who they were and what they accomplished. The pictures, sculptures, music, and other relics of a very humanlike race doomed to destruction depress the crew and investigating scientists, who are far from their own homes and lonely. What the narrator has learned but not yet communicated to the others is that the supernova that destroyed this civilization was the Star of Bethlehem, which burned brightly in the sky to herald the birth of Jesus Christ. His discovery has caused him to re-examine and to question his own faith.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you read. o The main character in this story is a Jesuit monk, a member of the Society of Jesus (a Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534). o Jesuits devote their lives to missionary and educational work and are also known as the intellectuals of the church. o The story makes a reference to a painting by Paul Rubens (1577-1640), a Flemish artist who painted a well-known picture of Loyola. o The story mentions two Latin phrases. The first, AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIUM, means "For the greater glory of God." The second is the Exercitia Spiritualia, which means "Spiritual Exercises," a book written by Loyola, which the Jesuits use for guidance.

Everything that happens in this story--the actions and words of the characters, the setting, the slow-but-sure progress to the surprise ending--points to a central idea which is a statement about the relationship we each have to God; it's a concern that is as old as human nature itself.

I think that's the thing that challenged his faith; not (as he said) the "death of cultures" -- without a doubt bad things happen as the Universe unfolds according to its laws.

No, the point isn't that he lost his faith, it was the opposite. The timing of the explosion forced him to intellectually confront a choice between a truly impersonal Universe where ironic accidents happen but are not malicious and a Universe where God would burn up an entire world deliberately just to make a point somewhere else. After all, there were ten million suns that might have served just as well, many of them without life forms.

So the moral choice is: is it better to believe in an Evil God, one that that hides a message of pure malice within what was supposed to be a sublime gift of love and peace and leaves it out there where we could not help but discover it, or to believe that the Universe is impersonal, that Christianity is an ironic accident, but that at the very least the fundamental order of all things is not wicked.

Using the imaginative world of “what if” to explore ethical issues.

Clarke lived in Sri Lanka and was clearly profoundly influenced over the years by the same rich religious culture I experienced as well. Hinduism and Buddhism do not view God the same way we do in the west. In either of these cultures the irony of a burnt offering (even one of this magnitude) would not have the same effect -- it would be a Zen lesson, a slap upside the head. It would even have a certain macabre humour to it, drawing one's attention to the Now and the need for compassion in the face of a world that is relentless real, and really irrelevant.

It seems that Clarke is interested in the thought experiment: “What if God intentionally destroyed a civilization to give a sign to another of his ostensibly universal redemption plan?” One shouldn’t lose sight of the fact, however, that Clarke, whatever his intentions were when he wrote the story, provides a sympathetic account of the faithful confronted with troubling facts about their own beliefs–something many can relate to on some level regardless of religious disposition.
Having this discovered by a Jesuit is an important part of what turns this from being a neat idea into a story because it turns the discovery into something personal. It’s an advanced civilisation. That, too, is important, because it links the story to one of the oldest and most intractable of theological problems: if God sacrificed his only son for the salvation of humankind, are any inhabitants of another world inherently beyond salvation.
As a good Jesuit, our hero has to believe that the people of the destroyed world were not saved, and indeed were not worthy of salvation, because they could never have known Jesus Christ.
As a human being, he sees the aftermath and has to ask if God is good. This theological conundrum has been around since the early 17th century, but I know of no story that encapsulates it as neatly and as powerfully as ‘The Star’.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Sap Bi Syllabus

...Multi-Dimensional Star Schema (Classical Approach) * Multi-Dimensional Star Schema in BW (Extended star Schema) * The OLAP Concept and differences between OLAP and OLTP Business Modeling * Info Area * Info Object Catalogs * Info Objects * PSA * Application Component * Info Source * Data Source * Transfer Rules * Update Rules * Transfer Structure * Communication Structure * Info Package * Transformation * Data Transfer Process * Loading Transactional Data into BW info Cube * Loading MD with TD into BW System * BW and BI Comparisons * Master data loading-new(BI) ETL process * Info cube & Types * Standard Info cube and Loading with new ETL Process * Generate Report with BI master and Transaction Data * Manual Uploading of MD like Attributes, Text, Hierarchy * Different Types of Attributes * Transformations , Rule types Routines * Start Routine * End Routine * Expert Routine DTP (Data Transfer Process) * Standard DTP * Error DTP * Direct Access DTP * Real time DTP DSO (Data Store Object) * Standard DSO * Write optimized DSO * Direct update DSO * APD (Analysis Process & Design) Update Methods * Full updates * Initialization * Delta Updates Info Providers * Multi Providers * Info set * Virtual Providers * Re-Modeling * Re-Partitioning * Open-Hub Destination * Data Marts Info Cube Maintenance...

Words: 339 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Intro to Physical Science

...diameter, and the brightness of a star could not be converted into its true radiated power, or luminosity .astronomy. (2013).  Direct measurement of the wavefunction had also long been deemed impossible because of the key tenet of the uncertainty principle. University of Rochester (2013, March 3). Getting around the uncertainty principle: Physicists make first direct measurements of polarization states of light. ScienceDaily. Large-scale surveying & mapping problems are also key challenges in making direct Measurements in astronomy. Pogge R.(2006) One of the indirect forms that the scientists have used is to resort to GEOMETRY to find the Distance. Parallax is one of the indirect methods where astronomers can measure the position of a nearby star very carefully with respect to more distant stars behind it, then measuring those distances again six months later when the Earth is on the opposite side of its orbit. Allen J.,Boyd P. (1997,April 15) The limitation of parallax is that it just gives distances to stars tp up to a few thousand light Years and beyond those distances, parallax are so small that they cannot be measured by Contemporary instruments. The methods used beyond light years are Stellar motions: All stars are in motion, but only for nearby stars are these motions perceivable. Statistically, therefore, the stars that have larger motions are nearer. By measuring the motions of a large number of stars, we can estimate their average...

Words: 1119 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Project

...By Sriram Vadlamani Apr 26, 2009 12:00AM UTC There are actually 234 listed IT companies but I chose to publish only the top 200. The combined market cap of the top 200 IT companies is 253499 crores as of APR 23 2009. Infosys topped the list in terms of the market cap though TCS tops the revenues list. Wipro and HCL followed the list. iFlex which is renamed to Oracle Financial Services is 5th in the list with a market cap of 7566 crores. Tech Mahindra has a market cap of 4049 crores and Satyam has a market cap of 3184 crores. Together they have a market cap of 7233 crores. This is around 300 crores less than Oracle Financial Services. The integrated company of Tech Mahindra + Satyam stands at 6th position. In all probability that will move further up as the financial situation of Satyam looks better than what the papers tell. Of the top 10 Indian IT stocks only Satyam is the most volatile stock and it can gain few percentage points and change the whole equation. (source) Top 200 IT companies in India by Market Cap : S.No | Companies | Market Cap in Crores | 1 | Infosys Tech | 83024.21 | 2 | Tata Consult | 55579.59 | 3 | Wipro | 45845.61 | 4 | HCL Techno. | 8580.78 | 5 | Oracle Finl. | 7566.75 | 6 | Mphasis | 4741.76 | 7 | Educomp Solu | 4485.72 | 8 | Tech Mahindr | 4049.96 | 9 | Sterling Int | 3495.03 | 10 | Satyam Comp | 3184.18 | 11 | Finan.Techno | 3076.69 | 12 | Patni Comp. | 1967.62 | 13 | HCL Infosys. | 1597.69 | 14 | Tulip Telec. |...

Words: 1192 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Deserts In New Mexico

...Did you know that New Mexico was a state on January 6 1912. However, the history of New Mexico was not officially recorded until the Conquistadors had come. On January 6 1912, New Mexico was made the 47th state. The Arthur of where I had gotten this information from is Dowd Musca. In New Mexico it looks hot so I think that there’s Deserts in New Mexico because when I had saw info about it had showed me some pictures of Deserts. Three places you can go in New Mexico are like the Sandia Peak Tramway, maybe go to the New Mexico museum, and the Albuquerque Biological Park. The colors of my state flag is Orange and Yellow. 2 Famous people in New Mexico are Neil Patrick Harris, and Holly Holm. Some stuff about them is that Neil Patrick Harris was...

Words: 336 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Dfdsf

...A Abacus Computers Ltd Abee Info-Consumables Ltd ABM Knowledgeware Ltd Accel Transmatic Ltd ACE Software Exports Ltd ACI Infocom Ltd Adam Comsof Ltd Adam Comsof Ltd Advent Computer Services Ltd Aftek Ltd Agilent Technologies ALLIANCE CONSULTING Allied Computers International (Asia) Ltd Altos India Ltd Ancent Software International Ltd AOL OnlineApis India Ltd Aplab Ltd Applied Materials, IncAptech Ltd Archana Software Ltd Arms Paper Ltd Arraycom (India) Ltd Asia H R Technologies Ltd Asian Electronics Ltd Asian Films Production & Distribution Ltd Asit C Mehta Financial Services Ltd Ask Me Info Hubs Ltd ASM Technologies Ltd ASTIR ITAstro Bio Systems Ltd Atos OriginAtrentaAurionpro Solutions Ltd Avance Technologies Ltd Avantel Ltd AXIS-IT&T Ltd Axon Infotech Ltd Aztecsoft Ltd B B2B Software Technologies Ltd Bangalore Softsell Ltd Baron Infotech Ltd Bartronics India Ltd Bathina Technologies (India) Ltd Birla Shloka Edutech Ltd BITS Ltd Blue Star Infotech Ltd Bombay Talkies Ltd Brels Infotech Ltd Bristlecone C CadenceCalifornia Software Company Ltd Cambridge Solutions Ltd Cambridge Technology Enterprises Ltd CanonCAT Technologies Ltd Cauvery Software Engineering Systems Ltd CCS Infotech Ltd Cerebra Integrated Technologies Ltd CG VAK Software Ltd Chakkilam Infotech Ltd Choksh Infotech Ltd Clio Infotech Ltd CMC Ltd CNI Research Ltd Color Chips (India) Ltd Compare Infobase Compuage Infocom Ltd Compucom Software...

Words: 1145 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Interesting Brand Success Stories

... They were three inches wide and eighteen inches long. Only $3,000 worth were sold the first year. The little red string used to open BAND­AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages wrappers makes its first appearance. Completely sterile bandages are introduced. 1920 1924 1938 1942 Millions of adhesive bandages go overseas as part of the war effort 1951 1956 1957 1958 Plastic strips are introduced. Decorative bandages are introduced ­ "Stars and Strips" (not Stripes). Clear Strips bandages are introduced. BAND­AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages are first produced in sheer vinyl. 1963 Adhesive bandages go into space with Mercury astronauts. 1971 1975 1975 1982 1988 Brooke Shields appears in a BAND­AID® Brand television commercial. Terri Garr appears in a BAND­AID® Brand television commercial John Travolta appears in a BAND­AID® Brand television commercial Chris Evert appears in a BAND­AID® Brand television commercial Perestroika arrives in Eastern Europe and so does BAND­AID® Brand. http://www.band­aid.com/brand­heritage/info 1/3 1/5/2015 A History of Innovation | BAND­AID® Brand 1994 BAND­AID® Brand SPORT STRIP® Adhesive Bandages are introduced 1995 75th Anniversary 1997 Introduction of BAND­AID® Brand Antibiotic Adhesive Bandages, the first ever adhesive bandage to have specially formulated antibiotic ointment right on the pad. 2000 BAND­AID® Brand Advanced Healing is the latest generation in wound care available to consumers...

Words: 382 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Knowing Your Audience Paper

...another company, business, organization, or a group of people it is of the imperative that an establishment knows their audience. Especially, if there’s info regarding fatalities or a disastrous event. The Chilean Copper Mine Collapsing was a very prodigal example of why audiences should be known. In August 2010, a trough in the Chilean Copper Mine cost 33 workers to be entombed at roughly 300 meters subversive. Quickly, rescue efforts were in progress, but did the company put forth effort of how to exploit info concerning the ordeal? Precisely, in such disastrous statuses, this company needed to take care in how the media relays their findings. If these are not done on a professional level, then the audience or even the world would or could rate this company at its worst ever. This should be known by immediate families of the workers first, other employees, and then a media publication was to be done, properly. Meaning, a representative, should already be in place for something if ever this matter. This individual should be chosen of the important. Then releases of this consequence would be spoken on and yet to keep the reputation of the company in good criterions. But this has to be done on truths and accuracies, so that any info giving is explainable to families and others won’t backfire. The responsibilities of getting updated info solely are relied upon by the company. Families are agonized after being aware of what had happened and how things are...

Words: 849 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Student

...Project Title Redesign of the Minneapolis Star Tribune Project Needs The Star Tribune is a local paper in the Minneapolis and St Paul area in Minnesota. Goal is to provide the most accurate news and events going on in the area. Paper newspapers are becoming less popular because the internet is easier and faster for looking stuff up. A redesigned easier to use website with a new look is in order. Project Description To redesign the Star Tribune website with new features and a new and improved look. Schedule Phase 1- Web Design and CSS 4/8/2015-4/13/2015 Phase 2- CSS Design and Authoring Tools 4/13/2015-4/20/2015 Phase 3- CSS and Web Site Navigation 4/20/2015-4/27/2015 Phase 4- Creating Multiple Page Layouts 4/27/2015-5/04/2015 Phase 5- Advanced Layouts Using CSS 5/04/2015-05/11/2015 Start and Completion Project will start 4/08/2015 and be completed on 05/11/2015 Project Deliverables To provide and easy to use website for all users and provide all of the most accurate news of events and stories in the area and around the world. Major activities To get all the info and mock up design of the new website. Start creating the pages and links for the site. To use all the industry standards and make the site user friendly for all users. Design and test the new website and make all necessary changes and improvements. Retest the site and implement it’s use on the internet. Resources Previous websites and other sites. Internet research on technics and what people...

Words: 431 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Journalism

...JRL CH 3 Extra Slide Info I. Conglomeration Consequences a. Oligopoly - a concentration of media industries into an ever smaller number of companies b. More safe choices: i. Copycat TV (ace of cakes, cake boss, cupcake wars) ii. Sequels to proven hits (rocky 1,2,3,4,5…) iii. Battleship: The Movie c. Availability: Wal-Mart only wants to carry top 2% of new releases. d. Are the Consequnces all Bad? iv. In 2009, Disney bought Marvel Comics v. As of fall 2012, Disney owns Star Wars – first sequel due for 2015 vi. Defenses: 1. Consolidation is realistic in a FRAGMENTED world 2. Economies of Scale: bigger operations have a lower relative cost vii. Criticisms: 3. Focus on the bottom line over quality 4. Conflicts of interest viii. News consequences: less coverage of congress, Washington, pentagon, world II. Media Behavior is Changing e. Day-and-date release: Many movies are released to multiple formats (theater, DVD, on-demand and download) on the same day f. Multiple platforms g. Theater attendance has fallen since 2002 h. Music sales are down by half since 1999 i. Newspapers are declining; DVD sales are flat III. Audience Fragmentation j. While media consolidates, its audiences are becoming more narrowly defined (fragmenting) k. Once, you ix. Read a newspaper ...

Words: 298 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Take-Off of Online Marketing: Casting the Next Generation Strategies

...1) Mission and vision- these were ok just some minor adjustments to make. N.B. Your vision must reflect your strategy. 2) OBJECTIVES- needs to be adjusted and include financial objectives and add a time base for them. 3)SWOT- we need to come up with more opportunities. Will list some stuff that I took from the other groups and what Miss said. ~ strengths- only five star hotel on the island ~weaknesses- bad customer service reputation. Unknown brand name ~Opportunities- Hosting of special events eg. Weddings Show case tobago's culture and food Only five star hotel. ~Threats- competition from Caribbean competitors. Global economic crisis Terrorism - (affects travelling and makes cost of travelling go up) Accessibility to Tobago( this can also be an opportunity for the airlift. Talk about bundling flights with expedia etc) 4) STRATEGIC ISSUES- ~ customer service and training ~ crime and security ( to protect guests as well as staff ) ~ marketing ( brand awareness) ~ only five star hotel on the island ( meeting the expectation) ~ location ( larger with more room for activities to outcompete other hotels but it lacks a beach front, is windy and has lots of mosquitoes) ~ customer service and satisfaction ~ Convenient transportation - talk about the airlift ~ pricing strategy - premium prices , must be conscious of global economic conditions. Price to be competitive in the Caribbean ~ Social environment change it to seasonality - find out how to...

Words: 506 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Nooooooooooo

...2/28/2015 Dolls & Stuffed Animals, Barbie, Lalaloopsy, Monster High - Toys"R"Us Rewards"R"Us Email Sign Up Weekly Ad Info Center Choose My Store Find a Store Help Baby Registry Wish List Gift Cards Gift Finder My Account / Sign In SHOP BY Search for something fun! 0 Home | Dolls & Stuffed Animals Dolls & Stuffed Animals Narrow By: Category Dolls Doll Acce ssorie s Dollhouse s & Acce ssorie s Ce le brity & Fashion Dolls Ethnic Dolls Miniature Figure s & Play Se ts Prince ss & Fairy Dolls Horse & Pony Dolls Stuffe d Animals & Plush Toys Colle ctible Dolls Ele ctronic Pe ts Gender Boys Girls Featured Categories Age Birth-12 Months 12-24 Months 2 Ye ars 3 & 4 Ye ars 5-7 Ye ars 8-11 Ye ars More... Dolls My First Doll Ethnic Dolls Show All Doll Accessories Doll Furniture Doll Clothes Show All Brand 20th Ce ntury Fox Acce ssory Innov ations Adora Ale x Toys Animal Adv e nture Animal Alle y More... Dollhouses & Accessories Dollhouses Wooden Dollhouses Show All Character/Theme 1D Adv e nture Time Alice in Wonde rland http://www.toysrus.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2255963 1/4 2/28/2015 Alv in & the Chipmunks Angry Birds Angry Birds Star Wars More... Dolls & Stuffed Animals, Barbie, Lalaloopsy, Monster High - Toys"R"Us Price unde r $10 $10 - $20 $20 - $30 $30 - $40 $40 - $50 $50 - $75 More... Celebrity & Fashion Dolls Celebrity Dolls Doll Play Sets Show All Ethnic Dolls Miniature...

Words: 955 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Dark Matter

...What is Dark Matter? The Oxford dictionary defines dark matter as a non-luminous material which assumed to exist in space. But what does this mean? If dark matter is non luminous how do we know it’s there? How can we detect it? These are the kind of questions I will try to answer in this short article. Discovery: In the mid to late 19th century scientists observed that stars orbiting nearby galaxies were rotating faster than expected. The speed calculated indicated that the gravity created by them could not contain the matter within the stars. Therefore meaning that the stars should have been ripped apart from their own gravity. This indicated that there could be some other form of matter that is acting within the galaxy; which could have certain properties that explain the larger amount of gravity e.g. more massive matter. Properties of Dark Matter: Figure 1 Figure 1 Dark matter is hard to “get your head” around as scientists say that you can’t see it; then how can it exist? Dark matter is said to be “non-luminous”, therefore it does not absorb, give off or reflect light, which means we cannot observe the existence of Dark Matter (But we could detect it: See section on “Detection”). Detection: Although we cannot see Dark Matter it supposedly makes up 22% of the universe, compared to 4% of normal matter (See Figure 1). The evidence of how dark matter could exist is from experiments held in particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. As Dark Matter...

Words: 519 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Toyota Paper

...Fall 2011 Advertising Marketing 214 Professor: Mr.Grammenos Chris T O Y O T A December 1st, 2011 By: Frosina Miladinova and Anna Papa About Toyota One of the world’s largest car manufacturers by sales and by production is Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) with 317,734 employees worldwide (2010). It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 having their headquarters in Toyota City, Aichi and Tokyo. The Toyotas logo includes three ovals that combined form the letter “T”. The overlapping of the two perpendicular ovals inside the larger oval represents the mutually beneficial relationship and the trust that is places between the customer and the company while the larger oval that surrounds both of these inner ovals represents the “global expansion of Toyotas technology and unlimited potential of the future”. Toyota has grown to a successful and large multinational corporation from the beginning of their entrance in the market and until it still remains the same after expanded to different and almost all parts of the world in countries such as Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Egypt, etc and became the world’s largest automobile maker for the year 2008.Interesting enough it managed to hold the title of the most profitable automobile maker along with increasing in sales (US $ 11 billion in 2006). Toyota Motor...

Words: 2332 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Creativity Techniques

...lack the discipline to carve out time to manage their finances or make and manage investment plans. We can overcome some of these challenges by creating a program with a low barrier to entry, providing a more structured learning resource, and guaranteeing that some of the program elements allow for tangible realization to serve as its own proof of concept thus allowing for continued attention devoted to financial literacy. Challenge: What is the best way to structure financial literacy programs Application of the SCAMPER technique: Substitute | Can format be changed?Can emotional stigma about financial education be changed? | Can it be taught on demand online? Can it be offered as structured courses vs. unstructured on demand info? Can it be seen as an asset rather than ‘scary big black box’? Can we get kids excited about learning about personal finance management?Can it be delivered within parameters of gamification and turned into entertainment? Can ‘quests’ be set up instead of tests, to teach principles, and practice them. | Combine | What could be combined? Packaged with other learning? | Add to school curriculum, teach along side economics, offer as a training requirement prior to participating in student run organizations, offer discounts for business magazine...

Words: 1012 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Exam

...modifications made from the start of the transaction or to a savepoint. It also frees resources held by the transaction. ROLLBACK { TRAN | TRANSACTION }      [ transaction_name | @tran_name_variable      | savepoint_name | @savepoint_variable ] [ ; ] Question 7: Difference between Primary Key and Unique Key Primary key does not allow NULL values for any column. But unique key allows one and only one NULL value in a column for the table. A table can have only one Primary key but can have more than unique keys. By default a primary key creates a clustered index on the column but unique key creates a non-clustered index. Question 8: What is star schema and Snowflake schema? Which schema do you prefer and why? A: star...

Words: 1489 - Pages: 6