(Setting: PHINEAS and ADVOCATE in conference room)
Advocate: What you’ve got up your sleeve this time subject, I cannot guess, but you’ve played your trump card, that is for sure.
Phineas: This is not a game, Advocate, this is about Truth.
Advocate: You still think this is about Truth? Your naivety is only surpassed by your arrogance.
Phineas: Arrogance?
Advocate: Only an arrogant fool would think himself the sole harbinger of Truth while the rest of the world goes blind.
Phineas: I suppose you would have told Galileo that, Advocate. To keep his peace in the face of popular wisdom.
Advocate: You compare yourself to one of the great fathers of discovery? You are arrogant.
Phineas: I compare not myself but this ruling body, which hangs onto only what it puts its blinders towards.
Advocate: Now you accuse the Grand Academics as being blind? Is there no end to this pretense of yours?
Phineas: Science has always been blind in one eye.
Advocate: What ravings are these?
Phineas: Science can only make its conclusions by the data it has to observe, and it can only observe such data by the available technology, and the available technology will only be supplied when there is sufficient impetus to improve it observations.
Advocate: How’s this?
Phineas: Unabashedly, science will present its latest model as The Truth, without exempting its statements by saying “by the best available data” or “the current model” or “The prevailing thought”, they represent theory as fact, which is monstrous enough. But then, should some new data come along, the arrogance of science does not recant what it had said previously as fact, but makes an announcement that they are “rethinking” their models. Discovery is heralded as progressive, instead of humble recognizing previous ignorance.
And what is mind-numbing about this is that the new “previous discovery” is heralded as unassailable fact, without the wisdom to understand that along will dome new data to usurp this new discovery on down the line. Science is working in ignorance, it spouts its ignorance, and does so with such arrogance that it is inexcusable.
Now, if someone would be making a statement of faith, and was proven wrong by science, this person of faith isn’t allowed the luxury to change his view or to rethink his model. He is quickly labeled an “ignorant fool” and discredited among thinking circles. And you have the audacity to label me “ignorant”? Science is blind in one eye, and ignorant in the other!
Advocate: Well, you’ll have your chance to make that case, Subject
Phineas: How’s that?
Advocate: The replacement for the Justice that you disrupted is wanting to interview you before the next proceedings.
Phineas: They have a replacement already?
Advocate: You sound surprised. I warned you of your opposition.. It will be an informal interview, off the record, with no Directive of Truth upon you.
Phineas: That sounds highly irregular.
Advocate: You think that stunt you pulled wasn’t “highly irregular”? Only in extreme cases have a presiding Justice exempted themselves from an Inquiry. You can’t expect to throw a boulder in the pond without the ripples being felt everywhere.
Phineas: Who is it?
Advocate: Justice McCrosky. He’s much feared even among his colleagues. I doubt you have ever heard of him.
Phineas: I don’t travel much in the Justice circles, no.
Advocate: Well, you certainly are getting your whirlwind tour, now. McCroskey, he’s ruthless. . He has a reputation among the Advocate circles for eating them up for breakfast. Court of Trials are run his way, or you move out of the way, or you get moved out of the way.
Phineas: Well, I figured they’d bring in the big guns about this time.
Advocate: You really are new to all this, aren’t you? That’s not the big guns. McCroskey’s not the one you have to worry about.
Phineas: Who is,then?
Advocate: These kind of people don’t have names. And that’s all I’m saying. You got your wish, Phineas. You’re on your own. And strangely, I’m not even sure you are good company for yourself. Good bye, Phineas. I don’t expect to be talking much more with you presently. McCroskey thinks that kind of interaction only muddies the Advocacy. For the first time in all of these proceedings, I think I pity you. Good bye.
Phineas: Good bye, Advocate.
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