The Price of Free Will

作者:Dorda, Christopher

页数:440

出版时间:2010-4

价格:$ 33.84

isbn号码:9781432755706

具体描述

The Price Of Free Will, by Christopher Dorda

The Concept

If you had the capacity to change the world for what you thought was "the better", would you? Even if it redefines what it means to be human? What if you knew it would kill you? Alistair Maxwell, genius, hacker, some might even call him a precognitive sociopath, is thrust into this very dilemma by an assassination attempt on his life.

The Story

Through hard work and study, Alistair Maxwell gains access to every bit of information available on the planet and starts making connections. What he discovers sends him into a schizophrenic paranoid depression. Corruption, war, ignorance, starvation, poverty, exploitation, genocide... A single ever-repetitive thought permeates his existence: "Someone has to do something about this!"

In 2005, in a quantum reality very close to our own, Alistair Maxwell is about to exercise his free will. Employing his unique precognitive abilities, knowing that his own death is assured whether he fails or succeeds, he attempts to end the suffering of the world because he believes that he can, and because he believes it's the right thing to do.

This is the story of an event that hasn't occurred in our reality, but deep down inside, we all know, it's only a matter of time before it does.

The Singularity Cometh.

The Technological Singularity

"Technological Singularity refers to the hypothesis that technological progress will become extremely fast, and so make the future unpredictable.

"Although technological progress has been accelerating, it has been limited by the basic intelligence of the human brain, which has not changed significantly for millennia.

"However with the increasing power of computers and other technologies, it might soon be possible to build a machine that is fundamentally more intelligent than man.

"If such a machine were built, then the machine itself could build a more intelligent machine. If the machine is more intelligent than man, then presumably it would be better at building a more intelligent machine. The more intelligent machine would then be better at building an even more intelligent machine. This process might continue exponentially, with ever more intelligent machines making bigger increments to the intelligence of the next machine." -Wiki

In other words, here comes Maxwell's AI, and Humanity will never be the same.

"I. J. Good described this as an "intelligence explosion". It is quite different from normal technological progress because the underlying intelligence is being increased. The term Technological Singularity reflects the idea that the change may happen suddenly, and that it is very difficult to predict how such a new world would operate. It is also unclear whether there would be any place for man in a world containing very intelligent machines." -Wiki

The Author

Christopher Dorda was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1973. The first decade of his life took him and his family across the globe, from Tunisia to Switzerland. The second decade of is life was spent in Canada where he went to school and excelled at two things: science and being sent to the principal's office. The third decade of his life was spent immersed in theoretical physics while enthusiastically exploring the concept of "living life as art".

Now at 37, somewhat older, hopefully wiser, and definitely humbler, he lives in the Montreal borough of St-Henri with the love of his life.

A Note From The Author

You never forget your first love. Similarly, every novelist I ever met told me that if I survived the life thrashing associated with this career choice, I'd never forget my first novel either. It's hard letting go, but the future awaits! Alons-y!

Enjoy the delinquency. Find me. Write me.

用户评价

我对这部作品的文学性表达给予最高的敬意。作者的文字功底深厚得令人发指，他构建的世界观宏大而又细腻入微，每一个场景的描绘都充满了强烈的画面感，仿佛能闻到空气中弥漫的灰尘和腐朽的气味。语言的使用极为考究，时而如诗歌般华美，时而又像手术刀般精准地剖开现实的伪装，直指人性的本质。我尤其被其中穿插的一些哲学性的独白所吸引，它们并非生硬地植入，而是自然地从角色的内心活动中流淌出来，探讨着存在的意义和个体选择的沉重代价。这种对语言的掌控力，使得即便是描述最残酷的场景，也带有一种令人着迷的冷峻美感。阅读过程本身就是一种享受，仿佛在欣赏一件打磨至完美的艺术品，每一个词、每一个标点符号似乎都经过了深思熟虑，缺一不可。对于那些追求纯粹阅读体验，并对文字美学有极高要求的读者来说，这部作品无疑是一场盛宴，它拓展了我对叙事潜能的认知边界。

从结构上来说，这部作品的创新性值得称赞。它采用了多重叙事视角，并且在时间线上进行了大胆的跳跃和重组，初读时可能会感到有些费解，需要集中精力去梳理人物之间的关系和事件的因果链。然而，一旦你适应了这种复杂的叙事节奏，你会发现这种“碎片化”的呈现方式恰恰是为了模仿记忆的随机性和创伤的不可逆性。作者通过这种方式，巧妙地避开了传统线性叙事的平铺直叙，而是让真相像拼图一样，在你阅读的过程中逐渐完整，每一次认知的突破都伴随着强烈的满足感。这种结构上的挑战性，无疑将读者的参与度提升到了一个新的层次。它要求读者不再是被动的接受者，而是主动的参与者和重建者。对于那些厌倦了标准三段式叙事，渴望在阅读中体验智力游戏的读者，这部作品提供了极为丰厚的“可挖掘性”。

这部小说读起来就像是坐上了一辆失控的过山车，情节的跌宕起伏完全超乎想象。作者似乎对人性的幽暗角落有着一种近乎病态的迷恋，笔下的人物没有一个是真正意义上的“好人”，他们都在各自的道德困境中挣扎、扭曲，甚至互相毁灭。故事的节奏把握得极佳，开头那种平静的表象下，暗流涌动，让人不自觉地屏住呼吸，生怕错过了任何一个细微的暗示。随着剧情的推进，你会发现那些看似不相关的支线开始以一种令人毛骨悚然的方式交织在一起，构建出一个复杂而精密的阴谋网。我尤其欣赏作者处理冲突的方式，它很少是黑白分明的对决，更多的是心理层面的拉锯战，那种无声的较量比任何武力冲突都更具杀伤力。读完之后，我花了整整一个晚上在房间里踱步，试图将那些散落的线索重新拼凑起来，但最终发现，也许有些真相就是注定要隐藏在迷雾之中的。这本书的后劲很大，它不像那些读完就忘的娱乐小说，它会像一根刺一样扎在你心底，时不时地提醒你，在你所见的平静之下，可能隐藏着更深的湍流。

这部小说的情感张力处理得极其内敛，却又具有爆炸性的穿透力。作者似乎非常克制地使用那些煽情的手法，而是通过角色的沉默、眼神的交汇，以及那些未说出口的对白来传达深层的情感纠葛。我印象最深的是关于“失落”与“救赎”这条隐线的描绘，它没有宏大的叙事，只是通过一些生活化的细节，比如一个旧照片的角落、一段模糊的旋律，就将人物内心深处的创伤和对美好过往的眷恋刻画得淋漓尽致。尤其是主角面对自己过往抉择时的那种沉重，让我感同身受，仿佛那些遗憾也成为了我生命的一部分。这种“少即是多”的情感表达方式，反而让读者必须主动地投入自己的情感共鸣去填补空白，使得最终的情感体验更为个人化和深刻。它不直接给你答案，而是引导你进入角色那片迷雾重重的内心世界，让你自己去寻找那微弱的光亮。

坦白说，我一开始是被它的神秘感吸引的，但很快就被其中展现的社会批判力度所震撼。这部作品绝不仅仅是关于个人的恩怨情仇，它更像是一面高悬的镜子，毫不留情地映照出现代社会结构中的种种弊病和虚伪。书中对权力运作的剖析极为透彻，无论是体制内部的腐败，还是精英阶层对底层生命的漠视，都被描绘得入木三分。你能在字里行间感受到作者对现状的极度不满和深刻的洞察力。那些所谓的“规则”和“秩序”，在作者的笔下，不过是用来束缚弱者、庇护强者的精致谎言。我发现自己常常在阅读时停下来，对比书中的情境和我们日常接触到的新闻事件，那种荒谬的相似性让人不寒而栗。它迫使你质疑你所相信的一切，挑战你习以为常的舒适区。这不是一本读完能让你心情愉快的书，但它绝对是一本让你思维觉醒的力作，是需要被放在案头时常翻阅的警示录。