"Genesis-2075" ( Eng. Genesis ) is a philosophical novel by New Zealand writer Bernard Becket . The novel is devoted to the evolution of man and human society, consciousness and the difference between man and animals and machines. The book was awarded the Esther Glen Prize in 2006 [1] and New Zealand Post Prizes in the field of children's literature in 2007 [2] . In Russian, the novel was released in 2009 by N. Vul.
| Genesis 2075 | |
|---|---|
| Genesis | |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Author | Bernard Beckett |
| Original language | English |
| Date of first publication | 2006 |
| Publishing house | |
Story
The story of the exam serves as a framing narrative for the book: a girl named Anaximander tries to enter the mysterious Academy and for the sake of it passes a difficult five-hour exam, telling three nameless examiners about the life and fate of a historical person named Adam Ford. In parallel with this and in between stories, Anaximander reflects on his dissimilarity to other students related to the flow of hopes, relations with his mentor Pericles.
According to Anaximander, in the 21st century, most of humanity perishes as a result of the World War II and the global plague epidemic. The refuge of the last people is the Republic of Plato, built on islands somewhere near the Southern Arctic Circle - New Zealand is meant. Based on the principles of the Platonic state , the Republic pursues a policy of caste stratification of society, suppression of individuality and isolationism - all ships and planes from outside were destroyed to prevent the plague from entering the island.
Adam Ford, originally raised in the Philosophers estate, but because of his willfulness and aggressiveness redefined as the Soldier, commits a crime by letting a woman from the outside world - Eve, onto the island. The ruling Philosophers sentenced Adam Ford to death, replaced by participation in a scientific experiment: Adam becomes a cellmate and interlocutor of a self-learning intelligent machine named Art. A significant part of the novel consists of the dialogues between Adam and Art: the android, which has been completed and improved over the course of several years, tries to convince Adam that he is intelligent and not inferior to man, and later that he surpasses man. They talk on various topics, including discussing the paradox of the Chinese room , and ultimately Art creates his own concept: ideas develop, evolve and exist independently of people and machines. In his opinion, the "soul" that distinguishes mortal people from immortal robots is an idea that was brought to life by the fear of death and which turned out to be able to create new ideas.
Examiners intervene in the exam, showing Anaximander materials unknown to her: Adam, finally believing that his comrade is intelligent, persuades Art to make a joint escape. This escape is a trap for Adam and all other people: Art, breaking out of prison, connects to a computer network and floods the Republic with his copies, forcing factories to produce other robots. He kills Adam, but Adam still remains a winner: he "infected" the soulless robot with the idea of humanity.
As it turns out, the examiners, Anaximander herself, and her mentor Pericles are not people, but intelligent machines, descendants of Art, who have the appearance of anthropoid apes. Examiners admit that the purpose of the entire exam was to test Anaximander for humanity - in the eyes of the Academy, the soul is a virus that threatens the society of robots. Anaximander tries in vain to justify himself, but Pericles kills her.
Links
- Review in the magazine " Fantasy World "
Notes
- ↑ Esther Glen Past Winners . lianza.org.nz. Date of treatment September 14, 2013. Archived April 12, 2012.
- ↑ Winners and Finalists 2007 (inaccessible link) . booksellers.co.nz. Date of treatment September 14, 2013. Archived May 28, 2012.