The Golden Age by John C. Wright

From: Hal Finney (hal@finney.org)
Date: Fri Feb 28 2003 - 16:46:15 MST

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    Several people have mentioned the novel The Golden Age, by John C. Wright.
    I read this a couple of months ago and am re-reading it now. It's a
    terrific novel and I'm enjoying it even more the second time through,
    as I see more clearly how Wright's future society works and has evolved.

    According to the TOR Books web site, the sequel, The Phoenix Exultant,
    will be published in April, which is also when The Golden Age should
    appear in paperback. I did see a claim online that the second book got
    too long and the series will now be a trilogy.

    Damien pointed last year to this interview with the author, a colorful
    and curmudgeonly sort (warning, contains some spoilers):
    http://www.sfsite.com/05a/jcw127.htm.

    What I like best about the book is the variety shown in Wright's future
    society, the Golden Oecumene (oecumene means world in greek/roman).
    The big problem in any non-fantasy future story these days is how to
    handle super-intelligence. We can't appreciate a story in which there
    are nothing but super-human beings. So we have to focus on possible
    futures in which there are some recognizable humans. Then you need to
    explain why these people still exist given the existence of superhumans.

    Basically what Wright has done is to show a possible variant on
    Eliezer's "Friendly AI" scenario. Humanity is shepherded and guarded by
    super-intelligent AIs, the Sophotechs. These beings take a relatively
    passive role in human society, primarily acting as guides and aides.
    They give advice, they run the virtual and augmented realities;
    occasionally they invent things. But what they also do, although it's
    not depicted directly in the story, is prevent violence. No one can
    hurt or physically coerce anyone else.

    In short, the Golden Oecumene is a libertarian utopia. It used to be
    that when you joined the Libertarian Party you had to sign this little
    card saying something like "I promise not to use coercion on anyone else."
    In the Golden Oecumene, this is the primary law. No one can be coerced.
    Everyone has complete freedom as long as they don't harm anyone but
    themselves.

    What we see in the novel is the working-out of this principle as applied
    to a world in which alterations to the mind and its perceptions can
    be achieved almost without limit. In fact this is to some extent a
    "travelogue" novel, meaning one whose interest flows from the setting and
    scenery more than the plot. But in this case, the tour is of mentality
    rather than of physical space.

    We've got the space elevator, terraformed planets, massive engineering
    projects, but they aren't that interesting. Where Wright is dazzling is
    in presenting the range of human mental (and to some extent, physical)
    adaptations and variations. There are half a dozen different mental
    organizations which are described in considerable detail: the Vulcan-
    like Invariants; the Warlocks, who walk through a waking dream; the
    Compositions, group minds; the Sophotechs, the super-intelligent AIs; the
    Neptunians, who have rejected the Oecumenical principles of non-coercion
    and whose super-cold organic brains approach Sophotech powers; and more.

    Add to this the capability of individuals to alter their brains,
    their motivations and perceptions, as easily as we change our clothes.
    It's a tremendous power, but extremely dangerous. A single rash act
    can put you on the path to mental self-destruction; and there can be
    no intervention, nothing stronger than verbal persuasion is allowed
    to try to rescue someone who has made such a mistake. We see several
    cases where good, strong people have destroyed themselves in this way.
    The ultimate freedom is the freedom to be wrong.

    It's a good, philosophical book that faces these issues squarely. As in
    any real utopia, a substantial part of the population hates their society.
    We hear their voices as well. What meaning is there for life in a world
    where anything a human can do, a machine can do better? It's a tough
    problem but it's one our descendants (and perhaps even we ourselves)
    may have to deal with.

    Several reviewers have complained about the style. It's a little rough
    and old-fashioned, but I enjoyed it. There are several hilariously
    funny scenes that help to puncture some of the pomposity. Also, on
    re-reading the book it is clear that the main action of the story is
    actually a distraction which is covering up the important event that is
    really happening, which will presumably be the topic of the next book(s).

    It's interesting to compare Wright's society with Banks' Culture.
    Both have augmented humans side-by-side with super-intelligent AIs.
    The Culture is a socialist/communist utopia while the Golden Oecumene
    is a libertarian one. Both societies are fundamentally decadent by our
    standards; both have strong threads of internal discontent. I thought
    in particular of Banks' recent Look to Windward as a good comparison
    for The Golden Age.

    I'll wrap this up with some notes that might be of interest to others
    who have read the book. I've been going through and working out Wright's
    chronology, the history of the Golden Oecumene, as I re-read the novel.
    He leaks out bits and pieces here and there, and by playing detective I
    have come up with a relatively coherent picture. I haven't finished my
    second run-through but here is how I see things so far. I'll put in some
    spoiler space for the benefit of those who haven't yet read the novel.

    Hal

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    Wright's characters describe history in terms of eras called Mental
    Structures. They are presently in the Seventh Mental Structure, aka
    the Golden Oecumene ("golden age"). Here is my reconstruction of the
    earlier eras and their defining events:

    First Mental Structure
            Primitive hunter-gatherers.
    Second Mental Structure
            Age of agriculture.
    Third Mental Structure
            Industrial Revolution. We are in the late Third Mental Structure.
    Fourth Mental Structure
            Contrary to most of today's expectations, the Fourth Mental
            Structure is not about AIs. Rather, it is the age of the group
            minds. It started with the First-Harmony Composition, whose
            waking to self-awareness defined the beginning of the Fourth
            Mental Structure. During this era, individual consciousness
            almost died out. The Compositions offered a form of immortality,
            as minds who joined were remembered forever. The Fourth Mental
            Structure was an eons-long era of peace. It was during this
            time that at least some of the new neuroforms were developed,
            particularly the Warlock and probably the Invariant.
    Fifth Mental Structure
            The Fifth Mental Structure was a long period of chaos, beginning
            when the Bellipotent Corporation re-invented murder and war.
            The Bellipotents apparently engaged in warfare against Warlocks
            and rapid advances in personal weaponry ensued. It was during
            this era that the Eleemosynary Composition was founded which
            became one of the greatest and most powerful group minds.
            It ruled at least all of Asia and possibly the whole world.
    Sixth Mental Structure
            The Sixth Mental Structure was defined by the dawning of the
            machine minds, the Sophotechs. The Eleemosynary Composition
            played an important part in the development of this AI technology.
            The age of warfare was over as the Sophotechs imposed their
            benevolent rule on humans, forbidding violence.
    Seventh Mental Structure
            The Seventh Mental Structure dates from the development of
            noumenal recording technology, which at last allowed true,
            individual immortality. The power of the group minds went into
            decline as people preferred the idea of not dying over being
            well remembered. This defines the current political/mental
            configuration of the Golden Oecumene. There are some indications
            that the story occurs approximately 10000 years after the
            beginning of this era.



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