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- Исаак Азимов
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- Конец вечности
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- Стр. 242/248
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"
They
didn
’
t
just
die
out
.
It
took
thousands
of
Centuries
.
There
were
ups
and
downs
but
,
on
the
whole
,
there
was
a
loss
of
purpose
,
a
sense
of
futility
,
a
feeling
of
hopelessness
that
could
not
be
overcome
.
Eventually
there
was
one
last
decline
of
the
birth
rate
and
finally
,
extinction
.
Your
Eternity
did
that
.
"
Harlan
could
defend
Eternity
now
,
the
more
intensely
and
extravagantly
for
having
so
shortly
before
attacked
it
so
keenly
.
He
said
,
"
Let
us
at
the
Hidden
Centuries
and
we
will
correct
that
.
We
have
not
failed
yet
to
achieve
the
greatest
good
in
those
Centuries
we
could
reach
.
"
"
The
greatest
good
?
"
asked
Noys
in
a
detached
tone
that
seemed
to
make
a
mockery
of
the
phrase
.
"
What
is
that
?
Your
machines
tell
you
.
Your
Computaplexes
.
But
who
adjusts
the
machines
and
tells
them
what
to
weigh
in
the
balance
?
The
machines
do
not
solve
problems
with
greater
insight
than
men
do
,
only
faster
.
Only
faster
!
Then
what
is
it
the
Eternals
consider
good
?
I
’
ll
tell
you
.
Safety
and
security
.
Moderation
.
Nothing
in
excess
.
No
risks
without
overwhelming
certainty
of
an
adequate
return
.
"
Harlan
swallowed
.
With
sudden
force
he
remembered
Twissell
’
s
words
in
the
kettle
while
talking
about
the
evolved
men
of
the
Hidden
Centuries
.
He
said
:
"
_We
bred
out
the
unusual_
.
"
And
wasn
’
t
it
so
?
"
Well
,
"
said
Noys
,
"
you
seem
to
be
thinking
.
Think
of
this
,
then
.
In
the
Reality
that
now
exists
,
why
is
it
that
man
is
continually
attempting
space
-
travel
and
continually
failing
?
Surely
each
space
-
travel
era
must
know
of
previous
failures
.
Why
try
again
,
then
?
"
Harlan
said
,
"
I
haven
’
t
studied
the
matter
.
"
But
he
thought
uneasily
of
the
colonies
on
Mars
,
established
again
and
again
,
always
failing
.
He
thought
of
the
odd
attraction
that
space
-
flight
always
had
,
even
for
Eternals
.
He
could
hear
Sociologist
Kantor
Voy
of
the
2456th
,
sighing
at
the
loss
of
electro
-
gravitic
space
-
flight
in
one
Century
,
and
saying
longingly
:
"
_It
had
been
very
beautiful_
.
"
And
Life
-
Plotter
Neron
Feruque
,
who
had
sworn
bitterly
at
its
passing
and
had
launched
into
a
fit
of
railing
at
Eternity
’
s
handling
of
anti
-
cancer
serums
to
case
his
spirit
.
Was
there
such
a
thing
as
an
instinctive
yearning
on
the
part
of
intelligent
beings
to
expand
outward
,
to
reach
the
stars
,
to
leave
the
prison
of
gravity
behind
?
Was
it
that
which
forced
man
to
develop
interplanetary
travel
dozens
of
times
,
forced
him
to
travel
over
and
over
again
to
the
dead
worlds
of
a
solar
system
in
which
only
Earth
was
livable
?
Was
it
the
eventual
failure
,
the
knowledge
that
one
must
return
to
the
home
prison
,
that
brought
about
the
maladjustments
that
Eternity
was
forever
fighting
.
Harlan
thought
of
the
drug
addiction
in
those
same
futile
Centuries
of
the
electro
-
gravitics
.
Noys
said
,
"
In
ironing
out
the
disasters
of
Reality
,
Eternity
rules
out
the
triumphs
as
well
.
It
is
in
meeting
the
great
tests
that
mankind
can
most
successfully
rise
to
great
heights
.
Out
of
danger
and
restless
insecurity
comes
the
force
that
pushes
mankind
to
newer
and
loftier
conquests
.
Can
you
understand
that
?
Can
you
understand
that
in
averting
the
pitfalls
and
miseries
that
beset
man
,
Eternity
prevents
men
from
finding
their
own
bitter
and
better
solutions
,
the
real
solutions
that
come
from
conquering
difficulty
,
not
avoiding
it
.
"
