Chapter 7: On Kant

In which we read about the utility of wings in a vacuum.

It's funny to see that some human authors, even the intelligent ones, even those who know Platon, deny the existence of the world I'm living in, the world of ideas. A guy called Immanuel Kant makes fun of Platon:

"The light dove cleaving in free flight the thin air, whose resistance it feels, might imagine that her movements would be far more free and rapid in airless space.

Just in the same way did Plato, abandoning the world of sense because of the narrow limits it sets to the understanding, venture upon the wings of ideas beyond it, into the void space of pure reason. He did not reflect that he made no real progress by all his efforts; for he met with no resistance which might serve him for a support, as it were, whereon to rest, and on which he might apply his powers, in order to let the intellect acquire momentum for its progress.
It is, indeed, the common fate of human reason in speculation, to finish the imposing edifice of thought as rapidly as possible, and then for the first time to begin to examine whether the foundation is a solid one or no."

I don't know why, but I find this section hilarious.

Chapter 6: On Reality

in which I discover that reality is less real than non-reality.

Reality - what a concept! Living in a world of forms and ideas, I thought "reality" was just kind of a parallel universe, with other forms and ideas. I was wrong. According to both demonic and human authors, reality consists of... how to formulate this... of shadows of ideas. Imperfect incarnations of perfect ideas. Take, for example, a sphere. Down here, a sphere consists of all points within a certain distance from a given point. Up there, in reality, it's some "material" object having more or less the form of a sphere.

One of their philosophers explained the difference between our world of forms and their world of objects with an analogy - it's more made for people living in reality but you might get it anyway. People trapped in reality are like prisoners in a cave, watching shadows of ideal entities on a wall. They take the shadows for existing, they call it reality, but in fact they are less real than the ideas (or "forms") casting the shadows, which they can't perceive directly.


Living in reality must be a strange and perturbing experience. You only see shadows, mock-ups, which they call "objects". You can't even be sure that those "objects" exist. Down here, a sphere exists, without any doubt, just as a poem exists, or a number, or a shape, or a formula, or a melody. Up there, it's not sure what exists and what doesn't. This is because thows who live in reality can't perceive objects immediately, they use "senses" to perceive them, and the senses can be wrong. They are doomed to live in eternal doubt.

Well, I think this doubt gives us tempters a double advantage when trying to influence a human: First we can make a human doubt of the existence of pretty much anything that exists, and secondly we can try to convince him of the existence of something that doesn't exist. Can be kinda fun, when you think about it. Can't wait getting up ther eto try it out...

Chapter 5: On the Library

In which I meet something that can't possibly exist: A gentle demon.

I'm somewhat worried. In some days we are to be sent to the physical world, the so-called "reality", yet nobody cares. Corporate wants us to be prepared for the things to come, but didn't even replace the teacher.

So I went to the public library in order to find out for myself what this "reality" is. When I looked through the endless shelves of dusty books, something unusual happened, something that never happened to me before: Somebody asked me whether I need help. The person who asked was a librarian, an old demon with a broken left horn. Naturally, I assumed there was a price to pay, somewhat he wanted in exchange, but he denied, he just wanted to help.

Now that was one strange behaviour. Demons just aren't selfless. Besides being a severe heresy, selflessness is just stupid. Life is a zero-zum game, what one demon gains, another demon loses. So why would anyone let another demon gain something ? It's illogical. Unless, of course, this librarian has some very selfish reasons for this seemingly selfless behaviour. Maybe a bet or something. Of course I was suspicious, but he insisted that he won't claim any payment later - so declining his offer to help seemed almost as stupid to me than the offer itself.

I told him that I wanted to learn about reality. "I see... Junior tempter ?" he asked. "Yes." - "I was a tempter when I was younger... 17th century France... Had some great successes at the court of Versailles... Well, I guess you understant nothing of what I'm telling you. I will get you some basic works about Reality, from both humans and demons. Platon, Andromalius, Gremory..." He limped away and came back with some books. "Here, read this. If you have questions, just ask me."

Well, I think it will take a while to read all those.