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empathy-shielding

A mental technique used by Robert to block empathic kenning, illustrating the subtleties and limits of interspecies emotional communication.

1 chapter across 1 book

The Uplift War (1988)David Brin

Chapter 6

This chapter focuses on Athaclena's reflections and experiences surrounding a Ceremony of Uplift for the Tytlal, a client species of the Tymbrimi. It details the ceremonial proceedings, the presence of various Galactic dignitaries, and the tension surrounding the Tytlal's selection of their Stage Consort, a crucial symbolic and political choice in the Uplift process. Athaclena's internal conflict and perceptions of humans and other species provide insight into interspecies relations and the emotional complexities of the Uplift tradition.