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Warning this review is quite spoloilery on his books. What I found most interesting with the first novel 'The Three-Body Problem' was it to me shows an immatur

Warning this review is quite spoloilery on his books. What I found most interesting with the first novel 'The Three-Body Problem' was it to me shows an immature view to science by the Chinese. This is assuming I'm guessing correctly how this book sits with the public and scientific community there. Maybe it's not considered Sci-Fi in China. I'm not saying it's pulp either. An interesting and entertaining read anyway.

Gys 11y ago
> it to me shows an immature view to science by the Chinese A daring thought as it is 'just' a fictional novel ? Can you elaborate on how you came to that conclusion ?
zariskij 11y ago
This is absurd. How could you judge view to science by just a fiction? Do you consider star wars as a mature view to science?
- gaius 11y ago
  Star Wars was not vetted by any government officials for its ideological purity before publication, is the difference. Anything that is published in China, by definition is representative of the opinions of the Party.
  - skaevola 11y ago
    Is this statement parody? If not, then you are incredibly ignorant about China.
    - gaius 11y ago
      The latter, I guess. We read stories in the press all the time about authors and "dissidents" being locked up, censorship of the Internet, etc etc. Are you saying none of that is true?
      - anon8418 11y ago
        >We read stories in the press all the time about authors and "dissidents" being locked up, censorship of the Internet, etc etc. Are you saying none of that is true? It is true, though not to the extremes I think you believe. I would guess that you're getting downvoted because you go from that to "Anything that is published in China, by definition is representative of the opinions of the Party." which is just patently not true (there is plenty of criticism of the CCP in both official published mediums - print, media, etc. - and even more so on blogs, weibo, etc.) Lastly, your statement can also be applied to many western countries...
  - shaobo 11y ago
    It doesn't work that way. For example, from http://gking.harvard.edu/publications/how-Censorship-China-Allows-Government-Criticism-Silences-Collective-Expression http://gking.harvard.edu/publications/how-Censorship-China-A... "Contrary to previous understandings, posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored. Instead, we show that the censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content."
    - xiaoma 11y ago
      Looks to me like you've never been active on Weibo or spent much time in China. You'd have to be an idiot to publish media critical of the state at any scale.
      - shaobo 11y ago
        No I haven't, but if you have the data to show otherwise, then by all means write it up.
        xiaoma 11y ago
        Do you seriously expect the PRC to publish pristine data on on arrests or executions related to anti-state speech or activities?
        shaobo 11y ago
        No, but there is also a wide spectrum of opinion/speech available in China between anti-state and pro-state. The point I am trying to make is that people think China is a smidgen way from North Korea, when the actual difference is night and day.
    - hackuser 11y ago
      In the last month, off the top of my head: * Mass arrests of human rights attorneys and dissidents: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/asia/china-arrests-human-rights-lawyers-zhou-shifeng.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/asia/china-arrests-h... * Online political dissent shut down: http://www.afr.com/technology/social-media/how-china-stopped-its-bloggers-20150701-gi34za http://www.afr.com/technology/social-media/how-china-stopped...
Profan 11y ago
You went from fictional literature to "The scientific community in China is immature"? What?
pavlov 11y ago
'The Three-Body Problem' ... shows an immature view to science by the Chinese. This is a dangerous way to view another culture. Instead of accepting that an author is an independent creator and a work is an independent creation, you seem to be saying that any Chinese work can be interpreted as a slice of "what China is like". There's no such thing as immutable "Chinese-ness" that would be inevitably expressed by Chinese authors. To think otherwise is basically Orientalism in the Edward Said meaning [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book)
dethstar 11y ago
The Simpsons taught me everything I know about American culture. Did you know they believe a giant dome is to stop a city from spreading pollution/trash?
hackuser 11y ago
What is immature about the view of science in the book? It seems to go to great (even unnecessary) lengths to adhere closely to 'real' science. Certainly the author's understanding of science is far beyond that of the average person in the United States or anywhere else. I will say the book provided an interesting insight into some people in China's view of the West. It reinforced what I've observed, a love/hate perspective mixing an admiration of achievements, inferiorty complex / assumption of Westerners' superiority (undeserved, surprising, and embarassing, but I've seen it many times), and resentment of Westerners' arrogance and disregard. People in the West have forgotten or written off the horrors inflicted under colonialism, including what Chinese call their 'Century of Humiliation"; people in the countries that were oppressed often have not.

Gys 11y ago

> it to me shows an immature view to science by the Chinese A daring thought as it is 'just' a fictional novel ? Can you elaborate on how you came to that conclusion ?

zariskij 11y ago

This is absurd. How could you judge view to science by just a fiction? Do you consider star wars as a mature view to science?

gaius 11y ago
Star Wars was not vetted by any government officials for its ideological purity before publication, is the difference. Anything that is published in China, by definition is representative of the opinions of the Party.
- skaevola 11y ago
  Is this statement parody? If not, then you are incredibly ignorant about China.
  - gaius 11y ago
    The latter, I guess. We read stories in the press all the time about authors and "dissidents" being locked up, censorship of the Internet, etc etc. Are you saying none of that is true?
    - anon8418 11y ago
      >We read stories in the press all the time about authors and "dissidents" being locked up, censorship of the Internet, etc etc. Are you saying none of that is true? It is true, though not to the extremes I think you believe. I would guess that you're getting downvoted because you go from that to "Anything that is published in China, by definition is representative of the opinions of the Party." which is just patently not true (there is plenty of criticism of the CCP in both official published mediums - print, media, etc. - and even more so on blogs, weibo, etc.) Lastly, your statement can also be applied to many western countries...
- shaobo 11y ago
  It doesn't work that way. For example, from http://gking.harvard.edu/publications/how-Censorship-China-Allows-Government-Criticism-Silences-Collective-Expression http://gking.harvard.edu/publications/how-Censorship-China-A... "Contrary to previous understandings, posts with negative, even vitriolic, criticism of the state, its leaders, and its policies are not more likely to be censored. Instead, we show that the censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content."
  - xiaoma 11y ago
    Looks to me like you've never been active on Weibo or spent much time in China. You'd have to be an idiot to publish media critical of the state at any scale.
    - shaobo 11y ago
      No I haven't, but if you have the data to show otherwise, then by all means write it up.
      - xiaoma 11y ago
        Do you seriously expect the PRC to publish pristine data on on arrests or executions related to anti-state speech or activities?
        shaobo 11y ago
        No, but there is also a wide spectrum of opinion/speech available in China between anti-state and pro-state. The point I am trying to make is that people think China is a smidgen way from North Korea, when the actual difference is night and day.
  - hackuser 11y ago
    In the last month, off the top of my head: * Mass arrests of human rights attorneys and dissidents: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/asia/china-arrests-human-rights-lawyers-zhou-shifeng.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/world/asia/china-arrests-h... * Online political dissent shut down: http://www.afr.com/technology/social-media/how-china-stopped-its-bloggers-20150701-gi34za http://www.afr.com/technology/social-media/how-china-stopped...

Profan 11y ago

You went from fictional literature to "The scientific community in China is immature"? What?

pavlov 11y ago

'The Three-Body Problem' ... shows an immature view to science by the Chinese. This is a dangerous way to view another culture. Instead of accepting that an author is an independent creator and a work is an independent creation, you seem to be saying that any Chinese work can be interpreted as a slice of "what China is like". There's no such thing as immutable "Chinese-ness" that would be inevitably expressed by Chinese authors. To think otherwise is basically Orientalism in the Edward Said meaning [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book)

dethstar 11y ago

The Simpsons taught me everything I know about American culture. Did you know they believe a giant dome is to stop a city from spreading pollution/trash?

hackuser 11y ago

What is immature about the view of science in the book? It seems to go to great (even unnecessary) lengths to adhere closely to 'real' science. Certainly the author's understanding of science is far beyond that of the average person in the United States or anywhere else. I will say the book provided an interesting insight into some people in China's view of the West. It reinforced what I've observed, a love/hate perspective mixing an admiration of achievements, inferiorty complex / assumption of Westerners' superiority (undeserved, surprising, and embarassing, but I've seen it many times), and resentment of Westerners' arrogance and disregard. People in the West have forgotten or written off the horrors inflicted under colonialism, including what Chinese call their 'Century of Humiliation"; people in the countries that were oppressed often have not.