Nowadays, of course, we are taught that the flat-Earth theory is wrong; that it is all wrong, absolutely. But it isn't. The curvature of the Earth is… - Isaac Asimov

Así, el mitraísmo celebrado el 25 de diciembre como día del nacimiento del Sol, que era una fiesta popular y alegre. Los cristianos la adoptaron como día del nacimiento del Hijo, y lo convirtieron en la Navidad. El cristianismo adoptó también como propio mucho de lo que en realidad era neoplatónico.

Earth governments in moments of stress are not famous for being reasonable.

Stephen, how do we know what the ultimate good of Humanity will entail? We haven't at our disposal the infinite factors that the Machine has at its! Perhaps, to give you a not unfamiliar example, our entire technical civilization has created more unhappiness and misery than it has removed. Perhaps an agrarian or pastoral civilization, with less culture and less people would be better. If so, the Machines must move in that direction, preferably without telling us, since in our ignorant prejudices we only know that what we are used to, is good — and we would then fight change. Or perhaps a complete urbanization, or a completely caste-ridden society, or complete anarchy, is the answer. We don't know. Only the Machines know, and they are going there and taking us with them.