 Which term best describes Latham's tone in the interview?
DISTURBING SUN By PHILIP LATHAM Illustrated by Freas [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Astounding Science Fiction May 1959. This, be it understood, is fiction—nothing but fiction—and not, under any circumstances, to be considered as having any truth whatever to it. In the closing days of December, 1957, at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in New York, Dr. Niemand delivered a paper entitled simply, "On the Nature of the Solar S-Regions." Owing to its unassuming title the startling implications contained in the paper were completely overlooked by the press. These implications are discussed here in an exclusive interview with Dr. Niemand by Philip Latham. Dr. Niemand, what would you say is your main job? I suppose you might say my main job today is to find out all I can between activity on the Sun and various forms of activity on the Earth. What do you mean by activity on the Sun? NIEMAND. Just what is a sunspot? I'm afraid I can't say just what a sunspot is. A sunspot is a region on the Sun that is cooler than its surroundings. It means you can only approximately predict the future course of sunspot activity. There is unquestionably a correlation between sunspots and disturbances of the Earth's magnetic field ... radio fade-outs ... auroras ... Now, Dr. Niemand, I understand that you have been investigating solar and terrestrial relationships along rather unorthodox lines. I think our biggest advance was the discovery that sunspots themselves are not the direct cause of the disturbances we have been studying on the Earth. Whereas the real cause is an invisible filterable virus. In the solar case it turned out to be these S-Regions. Why S-Regions? You say an S-Region is invisible? It is extremely doubtful, however, if the radiation we detect is the actual cause of the disturbing effects observed. Yet strangely enough it's hard to describe them in exact terms. Let's see ... remember that speech from "Julius Caesar" where Cassius is bewailing the evil times that beset ancient Rome? In the Sun? NIEMAND. Philosophers have wrestled with it ever since the days of Job. And like Job they have usually given up in despair, convinced that the origin of evil is too deep for the human mind to solve. Generally they have concluded that man is inherently wicked and sinful and that is the end of it. There are occasional periods when conditions are fairly calm and peaceful. Man at last seemed to be making progress toward some higher goal.
 Pressing
 Neutral  Skeptical  Pressing  Perplexed