Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"Human beings hardly ever learn from the experience of others. They learn; when they do, which isn't often, on their own, the hard way."
- Robert Heinlein
 |
| Diabological Armory | ||
| A set of verbal tools based on a higher form of reasoning. |
In this classic story by Eric Frank Russell, Wayne Hillder is a space scout; he travels to distance star systems in search of intelligent life. He lands, alone, on planets teeming with space-faring lifeforms. Is he scared? No, because he knows that once a lifeform is intelligent enough to develop space travel, it is a lifeform that can be reached by the right sort of reasoning.
| What might be awaiting him at ground level did not bother him at all. The Terrans of today ... had become space-sophisticated. They had learned to lounge around with a carefree smile and let the other life forms do the worrying. It lent an air of authority and always worked. Nothing is no more intimidating than an idiotic grin worn by a manifest non-idiot. Quite a useful weapon in the diabological armory was the knowing smirk. |
| From Diabologic,
by Eric Frank Russell. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1955 Additional resources -
|
If you are looking for more information on specific diabological tools, consider deflatory gesture twenty-two.
Four hundred pairs of eyes examined the stranger, some curiously, some doubtfully, some challengingly, many with unconcealed antagonism.
Sitting down, Hillder looked them over much as one looks into one of the more odorous cages at the zoo. That is to say, with faint distaste. Gently he rubbed the side of his nose with a forefinger and sniffed. Deflatory gesture twenty-two, suitable for use in the presence of massed authority. It brought its carefully calculated reward. Half a dozen of the most bellicose characters glared at him.
Those who wish to reject diabological reasoning in favor of heavy-duty mathematical logic should take a look at Mathematical Logic around the world.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Diabologic
More Ideas
and Technology by Eric Frank Russell
Tech news articles related to Diabologic
Tech news articles related to works by Eric Frank Russell
| Sansar Social Virtual Reality Platform In 2017? |
| Publishing Technologies In Science Fiction |
| Hurdl PIXL Wearable Helps Fans Connect With Stars |
| Advertising Drones Hover Over Traffic In Mexico |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Ever wonder how you look when you enter a new part of a spacecraft?
'Whoever launched it fired a laser cannon...'
'Most of the crew have the tiny imp ride on their shoulder...'
'About a third of the people in Manhattan have replaced their Freedom Card with a radio-frequency chip...'
