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Chrono-synclastic infundibula, mysterious spirals that exist in space, represent the vast unknowable expanse of the universe and the predetermined nature of existence. They are never fully explained in the novel, with the narrator claiming that they are too complex to be easily summarized and indicating that human scientists still do not really understand them. According to the novel, the age of human space exploration is halted by the discovery of chrono-synclastic infundibula. No one knows what will happen if a human enters them, and thus governments ban humans from travelling through space. However, Winston Niles Rumfoord ignores this ban and, taking his dog, Kazak, with him, flies his spaceship directly into a particular chrono-synclastic infundibulum that stretches between Earth and Mars. The result is that Rumfoord and Kazak become trapped in a kind of time warp. Being inside a chrono-synclastic infundibulum enables Rumfoord to see into the past and future; inside the spirals, all the different, subjective, and conflicting versions of truth fit together perfectly. It is through the seemingly omniscient power he gains within the chrono-synclastic infundibulum that Rumfoord is able to realize that everything that happens in the universe is predetermined, which indicates that there is no such thing as free will. At the same time, it eventually becomes clear that Rumfoord never achieves full omniscience, as he is not able to predict that one day a sunspot will interrupt the chrono-synclastic infundibulum he is in, flinging him and Kazak off into the oblivion of space. In their mysteriousness, then, chrono-synclastic infundibulum represent hubris and the limits of human knowledge.
Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum Quotes in The Sirens of Titan
The The Sirens of Titan quotes below all refer to the symbol of Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1: Between Timid and Timbuktu
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“When I ran my space ship into the chrono-synclastic infundibulum, it came to me in a flash that everything that has been always will be, and everything that ever will be always has been.” He chuckled again. “Knowing that rather takes the glamour out of fortunetelling—makes it the simplest, most obvious thing imaginable.”
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The discovery of the chrono-synclastic infundibula said to mankind in effect: “What makes you think you’re going anywhere?”
It was a situation made to order for American fundamentalist preachers. They were quicker than philosophers or historians or anybody to talk sense about the truncated Age of Space.
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Chapter 12: The Gentleman From Tralfamadore
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“There it is—friend,” he said to his memory of Rumfoord, “and much consolation may it give you, Skip. Much pain it cost your old friend Salo. In order to give it to you—even too late—your old friend Salo had to make war against the core of his being, against the very nature of being a machine.
“You asked the impossible of a machine,” said Salo, “and the machine complied.”
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Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum Symbol Timeline in The Sirens of Titan
The timeline below shows where the symbol Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum appears in The Sirens of Titan. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Between Timid and Timbuktu
...place and time. Years ago, Rumfoord drove his spaceship into the heart of “an uncharted chrono-synclastic infundibulum ” near Mars. He and his dog Kazak—who was also travelling in the spaceship—ended up...
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It is difficult to explain chrono-synclastic infundibula in simple terms. The narrator provides an extract from A Child’s Cyclopedia of Wonders and...
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...she is tired of his fortunetelling. Rumfoord explains that when he originally flew into the chrono-synclastic infundibulum , he suddenly became aware that “everything that has ever been always will be, and...
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...million, and flew it into space even after the government banned space exploration due to chrono-synclastic infundibula . He chose to fly into one even though nobody knew what would happen.
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...built its last spaceship, called The Whale, which has never left Earth. The discovery of chrono-synclastic infundibula halted humanity’s exploration of space entirely. The people who responded quickest to the crisis were...
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Chapter 2: Cheers in the Wirehouse
...quotes from the President’s speech, in which he claims that worrying too much about the chrono-synclastic infundibula prevents “progerse.”
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Chapter 6: A Deserter in Time of War
...month in which he was born. Other months are named things like “Winston,” “Rumfoord,” “Kazak,” “Infundibulum,” and “Salo.” The month Salo is named after a “creature” whom Rumfoord knows from Titan....
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Chapter 9: A Puzzle Solved
Ever since he first entered the chrono-synclastic infundibulum , Rumfoord discovered that he is “crazy about good music.” Now, Boaz is putting on...
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Chapter 12: The Gentleman From Tralfamadore
...is completely missing. Weakly, Rumfoord explains, “Sunspots.” A storm on the sun has affected the chrono-synclastic infundibulum . Sunspots have made Rumfoord and Kazak ill before, but not like this. Rumfoord snaps...
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...that very soon, an explosion on the sun will blow his spaceship out of the chrono-synclastic infundibulum and all the way out of the Solar System. Salo is horrified, but Rumfoord insists...
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...“German batball star.” Rumfoord tells them that he is not dying, because, from his “ chrono-synclastic infundibula ted” perspective, everything always remains and everything that has ever happened is still happening. He...
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