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>extremely plausible science fiction >I thought it meant "very hard to understand" For a mere mortal like myself, those definitions aren't mutually exclusive.

>extremely plausible science fiction >I thought it meant "very hard to understand" For a mere mortal like myself, those definitions aren't mutually exclusive. I think I tried reading "Blindsight" a long time ago but never got past a few dozen pages. Maybe I should give it a try again someday.

Scene_Cast2 1y ago
Blindsight is known to be a slog for a lot of people including myself. I love sci-fi, I love challenging ideas, and I really liked the concepts explored in Blindsight - except that I learned those concepts through summaries and selective reading.
- jkingsman 1y ago
  Yes, there were definitely parts where I felt maybe I was picking up on a vibe or a hint, and later realized that was now a structural part of the story without which I would be quite lost. I found this INCREDIBLY FULL OF SPOILERS explanation of fundamental plot points to be helpful in confirming or summarizing some things I missed[0]. [0]: —-EXTREME SPOILER WARNING-- https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understanding_blindsight_spoilers/ https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understandi...
  - throwanem 1y ago
    There are no spoilers for Blindsight at that link. All it does is describe the events of the plot.
- ninalanyon 1y ago
  I found it hard to read because it seems to true and hence so frightening.
Boogie_Man 1y ago
I'm certified dumb as a box of rocks 19 Wonderlic and I was able to follow most of it without issue or pause. It's possible that it's a bell curve and I'm too dumb to realize I was missing things. Hard to say.
- throwanem 1y ago
  What did it leave you with on the subject of consciousness?
  - Boogie_Man 1y ago
    Spoilers: My understanding is that the central thrust is that consciousness as we know it which separates us from all other animals may not be the deciding factor in advanced vs simple cognition and a state to which evolution and development is geared as we've always assumed, but rather an evolutionary aberration that doesn't necessarily exist in other advanced life forms and may cease to exist in humanity eventually. At first I felt a bit depressed and devalued, but then recognized that even if it was true, it made consciousness and my conscious experience even more valuable than if it were a foregone conclusion, and added that much more importance to art and religion.
    - throwanem 1y ago
      Okay gotcha gotcha. I don't know what a "Wonderlic" is but for what it's worth, up to now, you're the only other person in this entire thread I'm convinced has actually read the book. Either that, I suppose, or you're a very skillful prompter. I confide you won't take the qualification too personally, recognizing that 2025 merely requires it.
      - Boogie_Man 1y ago
        I'd have to be a real psycho to use AI to pretend to have read books. Reading is probably one the most important parts of my existence, and yet I don't do it nearly enough. I do experience the same phenomenon where I feel other people haven't actually read books. The book I've experienced this with the most is Infinite Jest. It's twofold in that people both misunderstand basic pieces of the story ("what ethnicity is Hal (arguably the book's protagonist)?" is a common mechanism by which I determine people didn't read or didn't understand the novel), and that I've never ever once online or in person seen commentary about the central "thing" the book is doing, although it's blisteringly glaringly obvious and I'm afraid everyone else just knows it and it's too obvious to state rather than being something only I noticed. So... Anyone ever actually read IJ?
phrotoma 1y ago
Hard SF doesn't _need_ to be difficult to understand. Peter Watts just happens to produce books that are both.

Scene_Cast2 1y ago

Blindsight is known to be a slog for a lot of people including myself. I love sci-fi, I love challenging ideas, and I really liked the concepts explored in Blindsight - except that I learned those concepts through summaries and selective reading.

jkingsman 1y ago
Yes, there were definitely parts where I felt maybe I was picking up on a vibe or a hint, and later realized that was now a structural part of the story without which I would be quite lost. I found this INCREDIBLY FULL OF SPOILERS explanation of fundamental plot points to be helpful in confirming or summarizing some things I missed[0]. [0]: —-EXTREME SPOILER WARNING-- https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understanding_blindsight_spoilers/ https://old.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/4p6zqj/understandi...
- throwanem 1y ago
  There are no spoilers for Blindsight at that link. All it does is describe the events of the plot.
ninalanyon 1y ago
I found it hard to read because it seems to true and hence so frightening.

Boogie_Man 1y ago

I'm certified dumb as a box of rocks 19 Wonderlic and I was able to follow most of it without issue or pause. It's possible that it's a bell curve and I'm too dumb to realize I was missing things. Hard to say.

throwanem 1y ago
What did it leave you with on the subject of consciousness?
- Boogie_Man 1y ago
  Spoilers: My understanding is that the central thrust is that consciousness as we know it which separates us from all other animals may not be the deciding factor in advanced vs simple cognition and a state to which evolution and development is geared as we've always assumed, but rather an evolutionary aberration that doesn't necessarily exist in other advanced life forms and may cease to exist in humanity eventually. At first I felt a bit depressed and devalued, but then recognized that even if it was true, it made consciousness and my conscious experience even more valuable than if it were a foregone conclusion, and added that much more importance to art and religion.
  - throwanem 1y ago
    Okay gotcha gotcha. I don't know what a "Wonderlic" is but for what it's worth, up to now, you're the only other person in this entire thread I'm convinced has actually read the book. Either that, I suppose, or you're a very skillful prompter. I confide you won't take the qualification too personally, recognizing that 2025 merely requires it.
    - Boogie_Man 1y ago
      I'd have to be a real psycho to use AI to pretend to have read books. Reading is probably one the most important parts of my existence, and yet I don't do it nearly enough. I do experience the same phenomenon where I feel other people haven't actually read books. The book I've experienced this with the most is Infinite Jest. It's twofold in that people both misunderstand basic pieces of the story ("what ethnicity is Hal (arguably the book's protagonist)?" is a common mechanism by which I determine people didn't read or didn't understand the novel), and that I've never ever once online or in person seen commentary about the central "thing" the book is doing, although it's blisteringly glaringly obvious and I'm afraid everyone else just knows it and it's too obvious to state rather than being something only I noticed. So... Anyone ever actually read IJ?

phrotoma 1y ago

Hard SF doesn't _need_ to be difficult to understand. Peter Watts just happens to produce books that are both.