n. fictional Philotes are
subatomic particles. The smallest in the
Universe that are known to
humans, forming
strands and
threads between other
particles. Philotes are thought to have a
connection with
intelligent life, being perhaps even the stuff of
consciousness itself. When matter changes form or physical connections are changed or broken, the
philotic links between the particles will
linger for an amount of time proportionate to their size.
Interstellar communication is made possible by splitting a subatomic particle and conveying one part to another
star system. Each
segment of the particle will be
sympathetic to
manipulation of it's
twin and the philotic connections
convey messages
faster than light.
Philotic
threads also appear between
people, forming a sort of physical
bond between them at the
subatomic level, usually with family, but also in any case involving strong feelings on the part of either. The
buggers, an
alien race consisting of
hive organisms, uses philotic connections to bind the
queen to her
drones and
workers. An
intelligence, calling herself
Jane was born in the philotic threads between ansibles, the devices used for interstellar
communication.
Orson Scott Card first introduced the idea of philotic threads in his
novel,
Xenocide, the third in a growing series of books that was originally intended as one
short story. The idea of a
sentient being rising out of an
electronic web connecting various
planets was also explored in
The Fall of Hyperion by
Dan Simmons, which, curiously enough, came out one year before
Xenocide, although both novels deal with different
subjects and in a vastly
different way.