"When you said, 'my people' you were talking about Martians. Mike, you are not a Martian; you are a man."
"What is 'Man'?"
Jubal groaned inwardly. Mike could, he was sure, quote the full list of dictionary definitions. Yet the lad never asked a question simply to be annoying; he asked always for information - and he expected his water brother Jubal to be able to tell him. "I am a man, you are a man, Larry is a man."
"But Anne is not a man?"
"Uh… Anne is a man, a female man. A woman."
("Thanks, Jubal."-"Shut up, Anne.")
"A baby is a man? I have not seen babies, but I have seen pictures - and in the goddam-noi-in stereovision. A baby is not shaped like Anne and Anne is not shaped like you… and you are not shaped like I. But a baby is a nestling man?"
"Uh… yes, a baby is a man."
"Jubal… I think I grok that my people - 'Martians' - are man. Not shape, shape is not man. Man is grokking. I speak rightly?"
"A Stranger in a Strange Land", Robert Heinlein
"What is 'Man'?"
Jubal groaned inwardly. Mike could, he was sure, quote the full list of dictionary definitions. Yet the lad never asked a question simply to be annoying; he asked always for information - and he expected his water brother Jubal to be able to tell him. "I am a man, you are a man, Larry is a man."
"But Anne is not a man?"
"Uh… Anne is a man, a female man. A woman."
("Thanks, Jubal."-"Shut up, Anne.")
"A baby is a man? I have not seen babies, but I have seen pictures - and in the goddam-noi-in stereovision. A baby is not shaped like Anne and Anne is not shaped like you… and you are not shaped like I. But a baby is a nestling man?"
"Uh… yes, a baby is a man."
"Jubal… I think I grok that my people - 'Martians' - are man. Not shape, shape is not man. Man is grokking. I speak rightly?"
"A Stranger in a Strange Land", Robert Heinlein