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"Ah Philosophy," said Om

Brutha peered cautiously round the door

Inside the roo to hold back two of their colleagues It is a scene repeated a million tihters growled and griht to escape the restraint of their friends, only of course they did not fight too hard, because there is nothing worse than actually succeeding in breaking free and suddenly finding yourself all alone in thewith a madman who is about to hit you between the eyes with a rock

"Yep," said Oh"

"But they're fighting!"

"A full and free exchange of opinions, yes"

Now that Brutha could get a clearer view, he could see that there were one or two differences between the men One had a shorter beard, and was very red in the face, and aggling a finger accusingly

"He bloody well accused

"I didn't!" shouted the other man

"You did! You did! Tell 'eested, to indicate the nature of paradox, right, that if Xeno the Ephebian said, `All Ephebians are liars-' "

"See? See? He did it again!"

"-no, no, listen, listenthen, since Xeno is himself an Ephebian, this would mean that he himself is a liar and therefore-

Xenofour desperate fellow philosophers across the floor

"I'ht on you, pal!"

Brutha said, "Excuse me, please?"

The philosophers froze Then they turned to look at Brutha They relaxed by degrees There was a chorus of ehs

"Are you all philosophers?" said Brutha

The one called Xeno stepped forward, adjusting the hang of his toga

"That's right," he said "We're philosophers We think, therefore we am"

"Are," said the luckless paradox manufacturer automatically

Xeno spun around "I've just about had it up to here with you, Ibid!" he roared He turned back to Brutha "We are, therefore we am," he said confidently "That's it"

Several of the philosophers looked at one another with interest

"That's actually quite interesting," one said "The evidence of our existence is the fact of our existence, is that what you're saying?"

"Shut up," said Xeno, without looking around

"Have you been fighting?" said Brutha

The assembled philosophers assuhting? Us? We're philosophers," said Ibid, shocked

"My word, yes," said Xeno

"But you were- Brutha began

Xeno waved a hand

"The cut and thrust of debate," he said

"Thesis plus antithesis equals hysteresis," said Ibid "The stringent testing of the universe The hammer of the intellect upon the anvil of fundamental truth-

"Shut up," said Xeno "And what can we do for you, young ods," Oods," said Brutha

The philosophers looked at one another

"Gods?" said Xeno "We don't bother with gods Huh Relics of an outods"

There was a ru sky

"Except for Blind to the Thunder God," Xeno went on, his tone hardly changing

Lightning flashed across the sky

"And Cubal the Fire God," said Xeno

A gust of wind rattled the s

"Flatulus the God of the Winds, he's all right too," said Xeno

An arrow materialized out of the air and hit the table by Xeno's hand

"Fedecks the Messenger of the Gods, one of the alltireats," said Xeno

A bird appeared in the doorway At least, it looked vaguely like a bird It was about a foot high, black and white, with a bent beak and an expression that suggested that whatever it was it really dreaded ever happening to it had already happened

"What's that?" said Brutha

"A penguin," said the voice of Om inside his head

"Patina the Goddess of Wisdouin croaked at him and waddled off into the darkness

The philosophers looked very eol the God of Avalanches? Where's the snowline?"

"Two hundredhappened

"Relic of an outmoded belief syste white death did not appear anywhere in Ephebe

"Mere unthinking personification of a natural force," said one of the philosophers, in a louder voice They all seemed to feel a lot better about this

"Priive you tuppence for him"