is a science fiction novel by James Blish, first published in 1958. It is the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion; they are completely without any concept of God, an afterlife, or the idea of sin; and the species evolves through several forms through the course of its life cycle. The story was originally published as a novella in 1953, and later extended to novel-length, of which the first part is the original novella. The novel is the first part of Blish's thematic "After Such Knowledge" trilogy, followed by / and .The story is ...
Father Ruiz-Sanchez is a dedicated man—a priest who is also a scientist, and a scientist who is also a human being. He has found no insoluble conflicts in his beliefs or his ethics… until he is sent to Lithia. There he comes upon a race of aliens who are admirable in every way except for their total reliance on cold reason; they are incapable of faith or belief.Confronted with a profound scientific riddle and ethical quandary, Father Ruiz-Sanchez soon finds himself torn between the teachings of his faith, the teachings of his science, and the inner promptings of his humanity. There is only one solution: He must accept an ancient and unforgivable heresy—and risk the futures of both worlds…Amazon.com ReviewArray—P. M. Atterberry
James Blish's galaxy-spanning masterwork, originally published in four volumes, explores a future in which two crucial discoveries ? antigravity devices which enable whole cities to be lifted from the Earth to become giant spaceships, and longevity drugs which enable their inhabitants to live for thousands of years ? lead to the establishment of a unique Galactic empire.
? possibile che gli altri mondi non siano abitati. Ma finora, niente esclude che possano invece ospitare forme di vita, simili o no alla nostra. Questo ? un problema che le scoperte della nuova scienza rendono attuale e non pi? ignorabile, una questione che va considerata sotto tutti gli aspetti. Anche quello religioso. Infatti, fra i doveri della Chiesa c'? quello di mantenersi in linea coi tempi; e il punto a cui ? arrivata la giovane scienza spaziale ha spinto appunto la Chiesa a interessarsi dell'eventualit? che esistano altri pianeti abitati. A questo proposito importanti esponenti del Clero hanno consentito a rispondere ...
