Summary

In "Arthulysses," the chapter opens with a description of Hilary Putnam's thought experiment The Twin Earths. Putnam's theory examined the definition of words beyond their "external properties" (151).

The narrative shifts to Arthur as he pilots a spaceship. He fades in and out of consciousness, trying to let his OS system, Zeus, guide him as he approaches the Deimos planet. When he completes the mission he will have been gone for two years. Though he was approved for solo voyages, he feels disoriented. When Zeus notices Arthur's thoughts and memories are distracting him, he intervenes. Arthur does not like Zeus, believing he has a god complex because of his name. He is glad he never had Zeus implanted, fearing he would have had the same experience Rachel had with the ant.

He tries refocusing, knowing the company will use human error...