Prosthetic Paradise (was Re: pynchon-l-digest V2 #1012

[Jeremy Osner]

"Terrance F. Flaherty" wrote:

> Humans are not born with
> tools as part of their biology. This was the claim being
> made, a finger is a tool. Humans are born into an
> environment that has tools. They do not "inherit" tools as
> they inherit fingers.

Using tools is a biological attribute of homo sapiens -- it is an instinctual
behavior just as much as is competing for territory or sexual partners.

--
The right-hand, still untasted part of the novel, which,
during our delectable reading, we would lightly feel,
mechanically testing whether there were still plenty
left (and our fingers were always gladdened by the
placid, faithful thickness) has suddenly, for no reason
at all, become quite meager: a few minutes of quick
reading, already downhill, and -- O horrible!

Invitation to a Beheading
Vladimir Nabokov
http://www.readin.com/books/invitationbeheading/