inary Sony color…television set and he'd run screaming； claiming it was witchcraft。 He wouldn't understand it at all。
〃But the point；〃 Ted said； 〃is that you couldn't explain it to him； either。 At least not easily。 Isaac Newton wouldn't be able to understand TV without first studying our physics for a couple of years。 He'd have to learn all the underlying concepts： electromagnetism； waves； particle physics。 These would all be new ideas to him； a new conception of nature。 In the meantime； the TV would be magic as far as he was concerned。 But to us it's ordinary。 It's TV。〃
〃You're saying we're like Isaac Newton？〃
Ted shrugged。 〃We're getting a munication and we don't know how it's done。〃
〃And we shouldn't bother to try and find out。〃
〃I think we have to accept the possibility；〃 Ted said； 〃that we may not be able to understand it。〃
Norman noticed the energy with which they threw themselves into this discussion； pushing aside the tragedy so recently witnessed。 They're intellectuals； he thought； and their characteristic defense is intellectualization。 Talk。 Ideas。 Abstractions。 Concepts。 It was a way of getting distance from the feelings of sadness and fear and being trapped。 Norman understood the impulse： he wanted to get away from those feelings himself。
Harry frowned at the spiral image。 〃We may not ＇＇169＇＇ understand how； but it's obvious what it's doing。 It's trying to municate by trying different presentations。 The fact that it's trying spirals may be significant。 Maybe it believes we think in spirals。 Or write in spirals。〃
〃Right；〃 Beth said。 〃Who knows what kind of weird creatures we are？〃
Ted said； 〃If it's trying to municate with us； why aren't we trying to municate back？〃
Harry snapped his f