Exhalation

Overall 4.5/5 Highly philosophical themes, with great storytelling and (mostly) well-built characters.

“THE MERCHANT AND THE ALCHEMIST'S GATE” 5/5 - Beautiful story with (science?) fiction elements, which, while interesting, is not the story's focus but still a key aspect. Through the lens of speculative fiction, Chiang delves into philosophical questions about the nature of time and the human condition. It's a captivating and intricately woven story about humans and how far they would go to save and protect those they love.

“EXHALATION” 5/5 - The titular story of the book; it is a science fiction masterpiece that explores profound themes related to consciousness, mortality, and the nature of existence, from the viewpoint of a mechanical self aware being, living in a world with physical laws different from our own.

“WHAT'S EXPECTED OF US” 5/5 - The story raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of free will and whether knowing the outcome of our decisions influences our ability to make choices. The story revolves around a simple yet profound thought experiment involving a device called a Predictor, which is able to predict a person's next action.

“THE LIFECYCLE OF SOFTWARE OBJECTS” 4/5 - The story follows the protagonists, Ana Alvarado and Derek Brooks, as they create and nurture digital beings known as “digients”. The narrative explores the challenges of raising and educating intelligent entities in a virtual environment, addressing issues of morality, responsibility, and the evolving nature of relationships between humans and artificial intelligence. While the story's overall theme is nice and thought-provoking, I felt like the characters are too much in the black and white spectrum regarding some of their decisions. The end of the story also felt anti-climatic because it seemed like there was a lot more to the story.

“DACEY'S PATENT AUTOMATIC NANNY” 4/5 - Interesting story about coming up with new inventions and testing their implications, no less than on your children. It's a rich and nuanced exploration of the intersection between technology and humanity and the ethical and moral consequences of progress.

“THE TRUTH OF FACT, THE TRUTH OF FEELING” 5/5 - Probably my favorite story from the book. It explores the impact of a technology called Remem, which allows individuals to record and review their memories with perfect accuracy (lifelogs). The narrative is structured with parallel storylines set in different times and places, one happening in a near-future where the protagonist uses Remem to revisit and analyze past events; the other is set in the 19th century, exploring the encounter between European colonizers and a tribe in Africa.

The story raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of memory, the reliability of personal narratives, and the ways in which technology shapes our understanding of truth and reality. It explores the philosophical side of human communication and how different ways of communication change society. I never knew that simple question such as “What is a word?” can be so profoundly complex to grasp and explain.

“THE GREAT SILENCE” 4/5 Sentient Parrots