September 20, 2011 Dilemma Prison
In the science-fiction novel The Quantum Thief the main character Jean Le Flambeur is stuck in the Dilemma Prison. His punishment is playing out endless variations of situations with countless copies of himself. This week I found myself in my own Dilemma Prison. Oh, to be able to escape into my own Oubliette!
Anyway, the 2010 novel The Quantum Thief was written by a Finnish Scientist named Hannu Rajaniemi. He has a PhD in String Theory. The book is dense and difficult to read at times. The hard-core scientific vocabulary can get in the way, but overall it was a good novel. There were lots of fascinating ideas contained in the pages. I liked the Gnostic elements to the story. The Archons or Engineers of the Soul were interesting. The idea of exomemory isn’t that different from the idea of the collective unconscious or the Askashic Records. The addition of the personal Gevcelots or borders was a cool twist though. With technology the way it is the idea of a soul being an up-loadable Gogol may not be far off. Truly Rajaniemi has created a unique blend of science and mysticism that Zukav and others have merely hinted at. The novel feels like a natural progression of thoughts and theories.
carilynn27 