On Tue, May 29, 2012 at 11:45:48AM +0530, Udhay Shankar N wrote: > Karl Schroeder has the tendency to write stuff that sprains my brain. In > a good way. I think. > > Udhay, still trying to wrap my head around the casual one-liner, "my > thoughts are sentient." > > http://www.kschroeder.com/my-books/ventus/thalience
I've read the novel (which is freely available on the author's site) quite a while ago. I found the concept interesting as a literary device, and the novel a nice read in general but otherwise not compelling. Main main beef with it is its anthropocentrism. In a postbiology setting and extreme diversity as well as scope of complexity the originator species is a completely irrelevant and tiny blip, likely extinct. Thalience is completely wrapped around that arbitrary, tiny blip. That is a position that is both timid and unimaginative. Vinge knows. I'm not sure Schroeder does.
