Bookup №3 — “The Last Question”
For our third bookup we chose “The Last Question” by Isaac Asimov. It is a short, fascinating story. Also, we figured to save our “customers” some energy and give them the chance to read something ad-hoc, instead of tapping into their memory for a book they could have read years ago.
We had two new and two recurring “customers”, and, as a personal impression, it was great to meet such smart people.
What did we talk about?
About the book, of course! Ok, not really, not all the time, but at least we tried… A lot of thoughts and ideas were circulated, some more relevant than others, and oftentimes the discussion would derail completely to topics such as feminism or microdosing (yes, really… 🤫). Here are some hints:
- Singularity: to be more specific, the idea of humanity merging with technology, and eventually merging with divinity. The closed loop of the created who is also the creator. This singularity — the AC — resembles the collective unconscious, but in a more expansive approach compared to Jung’s;
- Physics: what does this story tell us about the laws of physics? The fact that, eventually, there was a way found to reveres entropy certainly shakes up the belief that the laws of the universe are rigid and untamable. Also, does the evolution of intelligence run counter to the second law?
- Nevertheless, what is clear is that in order to evolve, we have to leave our humanity behind (e.g.: our bodies). And then the question is: what exactly is left of us to perpetuate?
- Transcendence: unlike other species, homo sapiens have an urge to remain immortal as individuals, not merely by procreation and passing on of DNA. However, we could not find an answer as to why…
- Before the end, the general understanding is the AC has absorbed the consciousness of humanity and is, therefore, capable of decision-making processes in the benefit of humanity (re-creation and thus perpetuation). But this very ideas presupposes that consciousness survived entropy. Right? 🤔
Any lessons learned?
Yes, alcohol makes everything better! I’m kidding, hold your horses. However, there is no denying that a glass of beer/wine/cocktail works wonders to get the conversation going, especially among strangers. Moreover, some stories simply call for a boost of our imagination/creativity.
We are are still in process of validating Bookups, but we are definitely starting to get a direction. Which is encouraging, especially before the holidays 🎅🏾🤶🏼
