Poul Anderson's
Genesis triplicates the Frankenstein theme. First, the post-organic intelligences are descended from man-made conscious artificial intelligences. Thus, human beings have already created consciousness. Secondly, the Terrestrial post-organic intelligence, Gaia, has consciously simulated, "emulated," many alternative human histories, thus creating entire populations of individual consciousnesses distinct from her own. Thirdly, she has reproduced human beings on Earth, thus surpassing Frankenstein who created a single individual but refused to provide him with a female companion.
Genesis is
Frankenstein writ large.
Was Gaia right? Is it better to be or not to be, as Hamlet asked in the Shakespearean timeline?
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Gaia must have used stored human genetic material to enable it to bring back the human race from extinction. And, yes, I say it was right for it to bring back mankind.
But I remain skeptical of the likelihood of AIs, post-organic intelligences, uploading or downloading of human personalities into or from artificial neural patterns, etc. But I certainly don't object to Poul Anderson examining such ideas!
Ad astra! Sean
“The lame can ride horses
The handless tend herds
The deaf are undaunted in war
Better to be blind than burnt on your pyre
No deeds can a dead man do.”
- from “The Sayings of the High One”
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Amen! An attitude I agree with.
Ad astra! Sean
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