Austin: Welcome to the Austin Show. On today's show, we will have  cute
     Russian guys who have nothing better to do than come talk to me. First,
     let me introduce Leo Tolstoy, a dead writer.
     Tolstoy: I would like to begin by saying  how  privileged  I  feel  for
     being invited here. Being dead is nowhere as fun as  being  on  a  talk
     show, especially on one so unique, as the Austin Show.
     Austin: Thank you very much Mr. Tolstoy. I will be sure to let you know
     if we ever have an opening on our staff for a dead writer. But  let  us
     return to the show. Mr. Tolstoy, our expert  dead  writer  today,  will
     introduce some of his friends.  But  before  introducing  our  esteemed
     gentlemen, let us ask our expert a few questions. How did you meet  the
     guests that will be introduced later in the show?
     Tolstoy: I decided that these characters would be a good addition to my
     book, entitled eloquently War and Peace.
     Austin: Isn't War and Peace already over a thousand pages? Why did  you
     need to make it even longer by adding characters to it?
     Tolstoy: I see you are not a writer.
     Austin: Of course not. You are the expert.
     Tolstoy: After publishing the 38th edition of War and Peace, I  thought
     readers would like to read something besides the history and philosophy
     in the book.
     Austin: So what is the main  focal  point  of  your  book?  Is  it  the
     characters, is it supposed to be a history lesson, or is it supposed to
     be a means to convey your philosophy?
     Tolstoy: It is whatever the readers want it to be. I  do  not  want  to
     tell the readers what they should read for.but an important part of  my
     book is a theory of history. I  used  my  characters  and  the  history
     lesson, as you called it, as examples, and support for my theory.  They
     also make the book more interesting, for philosophers can be so  boring
     at times.
     Austin: I see. And what is this theory of history that you mentioned?
     Tolstoy: I tried to explain the true motivations behind the  characters
     of  history.  One  point,  I  believe,  is  that  history   cannot   be
     deconstructed into parts. Many historians mistakenly view history as  a
     sequence of disconnected units, when there cannot be any  beginning  or
     end to any event. Another mistake is assuming  that  the  will  of  the
     masses is manifested in the leader. To demonstrate  my  point,  let  me
     bring out the commanders of the French and Russian armies, Napoleon and
     Kutuzov.
     Austin: Let us give a warm  welcome  to  these  dead,  real,  fictional
     gentlemen. [Wild applause]
     Napoleon: How dare you interrupt my sleep with such  a  ridiculous  and
     pointless show! I will destroy this country!
     Tolstoy: Of course you will. Napoleon, historians call  you  a  genius,
     but what is this genius?
     Napoleon: I'll show you my genius, you insolent.
     Tolstoy: What will you do? Will you use  the  French  army,  which  you
     could not even control when you had control of Moscow?  Was  it  really
     you that controlled the French army? No. It was the  French  army,  the
     spirit of the army, the masses, that controlled you.
     Napoleon: What nonsense! Of course I was in  control.  It  was  I  that
     ordered the troops into Russia. It was I that caused the  surrender  of
     the Kremlin.
     Tolstoy: You say you had  control  of  the  magnificent  Kremlin.  What
     happened when you ordered the French to stock up food, to  not  pillage
     Moscow,  and  to  maintain  discipline?  The  French  did  exactly  the
     opposite. None of your commands were effective, for  you  had  no  real
     power or control. Power is arbitrary.
     Napoleon: I do not need to take these insults. You are only jealous  of
     the power that I once held. Wait until we meet on  the  battlefield.  I
     will leave now; I am going back to my grave now. [He vanishes]
     Kutuzov: Is it my turn now? Don't  you  dare  insult  me  too.  I  have
     already given my life for Russia.
     Tolstoy:  No. Mr. Kutuzov, you are entirely different. You are a man of
     the people. You understand the real driving force behind an  army.  You
     understand that a commander is  limited  by  those  he  commands.  Your
     experiences with the army offer numerous examples that support my claim
     that power lies in the masses, in individuals, in the parts  that  make
     up the whole.
     Kutuzov: Yes. Like the battle at Borodino, and numerous  other  battles
     when I laid out wonderful dispositions  for  my  troops,  and  not  one
     command was followed. After the French left Moscow,  I  tried  to  hold
     back the army, but it seemed to move of its own accord,  attacking  the
     French, though the mighty French army had already  disappeared  on  its
     own.
     Austin: How does your lack of free will, or decision making power, make
     you feel?
     Tolstoy: I believe I have a partial explanation to that  question.  For
     each action taken, a portion is always due to free will, and a  portion
     is always due to necessity. The relative proportion of the two portions
     depends on several factors related to space, time, and causation.
     Kutuzov: Are you saying that I am not even in full control  of  myself?
     Some part of me is being controlled by my needs, or my instincts, while
     the part I do control, controls nothing. I feel so useless. What do you
     call the force that allowed me to command the army? What is power?
     Tolstoy: Those are two separate questions. First, let me define  power.
     Power is vested in the ones that take the least part in  the  act.  The
     privates in your army had the least power, for they were closest to the
     action, to the battles. The officers spent some time in the  field  and
     some time expressing their opinion, theories,  and  justifications  for
     the actions of the army. You had the most power since  you  spent  your
     time directing the activity. You were  furthest  from  the  action  and
     therefore had the most power.
     Austin: But didn't you say that this power is not real, that  the  true
     strength lay in the army itself?
     Tolstoy: Exactly. The second part of Kutuzov's question dealt with what
     drove the army to do what it did. Commanding the army did not come from
     power, but by the combined activity of all the men in the army.
     Austin: Very interesting, but that is all the time we have  for  today.
     In summary, we have talked about the futile attempt by  historians  and
     others to break events into parts, we have talked about  power  and  we
     have been shown the true force driving a group of people. I would  like
     to thank all our guests, except Napoleon,  for  their  appearance.  For
     each of our guests, we have a bottle of BugBGone, which they  may  find
     useful in their graves. Thanks for watching, and  see  you  next  time,
     when we will talk to plants about the  effects  pollution,  pesticides,
     and politicians have on their lives.