Foundation and Earth

"What happens when someone dies whose brain stores data of considerable value?"

"The data is not lost. It is slowly crowded out as the brain disorganizes after death, but there is ample time to distribute the memories into other parts of Gaia. And as new brains appear in babies and become more organized with growth, they not only develop their personal memories and thoughts but are fed appropriate knowledge from other sources. What you would call education is entirely automatic with me/us/Gaia."

Pelorat said, "Frankly, Golan, it seems to me that this notion of a living world has a great deal to be said for it."

Trevize gave his fellow-Foundationer a brief, sidelong glance. "I'm sure of that, Janov, but I'm not impressed. The planet, however big and however diverse, represents one brain. One! Every new brain that arises is melted into the whole. Where's the opportunity for opposition, for disagreement? When you think of human history, you think of the occasional human being whose minority view may be condemned by society but who wins out in the end and changes the world. What chance is there on Gaia for the great rebels of history?"

"There is internal conflict," said Bliss. "Not every aspect of Gaia necessarily accepts the common view."

"It must be limited," said Trevize. "You cannot have too much turmoil within a single organism, or it would not work properly. If progress and development are not stopped altogether, they must certainly be slowed. Can we take the chance of inflicting that on the entire Galaxy? On all of humanity?"

Bliss said, without open emotion, "Are you now questioning your own decision? Are you changing your mind and are you now saying that Gaia is an undesirable future for humanity?"

Trevize tightened his lips and hesitated. Then, he said, slowly, "I would like to, but-not yet. I made my decision on some basis-some unconscious basis-and until I find out what that basis was, I cannot truly decide whether I am to maintain or change my decision. Let us therefore return to the matter of Earth."

"Where you feel you will learn the nature of the basis on which you made your decision. Is that it, Trevize?"

"That is the feeling I have. Now Dom says Gaia does not know the location of Earth. And you agree with him, I believe."

"Of course I agree with him. I am no less Gaia than he is."

"And do you withhold knowledge from me? Consciously, I mean?"

"Of course not. Even if it were possible for Gaia to lie, it would not lie to you. Above all, we depend upon your conclusions, and we need them to be accurate, and that requires that they be based on reality."

"In that case," said Trevize, "let's make use of your world-memory. Probe backward and tell me how far you can remember."

There was a small hesitation. Bliss looked blankly at Trevize, as though, for a moment, she was in a trance. Then she said, "Fifteen thousand years."

"Why did you hesitate?"

"It took time. Old memories-really old-are almost all in the mountain roots where it takes time to dig them out."

"Fifteen thousand years ago, then? Is that when Gaia was settled?"

"No, to the best of our knowledge that took place some three thousand years before that."

"Why are you uncertain? Don't you-or Gaia-remember?"

Bliss said, "That was before Gaia had developed to the point where memory became a global phenomenon."

"Yet before you could rely on your collective memory, Gaia must have kept records, Bliss. Records in the usual sense-recorded, written, filmed, and so on."

"I imagine so, but they could scarcely endure all this time."

"They could have been copied or, better yet, transferred into the global memory, once that was developed."

Bliss frowned. There was another hesitation, longer this time. "I find no sign of these earlier records you speak of."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, Trevize. I presume that they proved of no great importance. I imagine that by the time it was understood that the early nonmemory records were decaying, it was decided that they had grown archaic and wore not needed."

"You don't know that. You presume and you imagine, but you don't know that. Gaia doesn't know that."

Bliss's eyes fell. "It must be so."

"Must be? I am not a part of Gaia and therefore I need not presume what Gaia presumes-which gives you an example of the importance of isolation. I, as an Isolate, presume something else."

"What do you presume?"

"First, there is something I am sure of. A civilization in being is not likely to destroy its early records. Far from judging them to be archaic and unnecessary, they are likely to treat them with exaggerated reverence and would labor to preserve them. If Gaia's preglobal records were destroyed, Bliss, that destruction is not likely to have been voluntary."

"How would you explain it, then?"