I was tempted to try to unpack this using a Buddhist lens but I think a Christian lens might be more useful. To me, the story is suggesting that neuralink-mediated consciousness is to 21st Century consciousness as 21st Century consciousness is to pre-Fall consciousness. That is to say: if the Fall is taken to be a cosmic error, then neuralink is an even greater error; but on the other hand, if the self-consciousness that comes with the AI-mediated ability to correlate and index every thought and memory somehow makes us more human (if humanity is equated with self-consciousness) then the Fall may not have been an error at all. Sin: "it's a feature, not a bug."
Also, good catch: the Mandarin word for "love" is "ai". What kind of cosmic message is *that*!?
This is just my attempt to understand how I feel about this story and see if anybody else here has something to add.
Absolutely fantastic. The interstice of digital and physical perspective feels completely lucid. Seamless anachronisms blending forwards and backwards in both time and matter. It's been some time since I felt such fresh sci-fi, like I was reading Neuromancer for the first time again.
I read this. Will read it again. Are you aware that there is a play button feature with this piece that reads this story? Is this a new Substack feature or have you added this? I love having an audio option.
I went camping today. This story has been bouncing around in my head all day
Amazing story, though I’m definitely going to need to read it three more times to really squeeze everything out though.
Have you ever written a full novel by any chance?
I have written a few novellas, but this is the lead-in to what will be my first real novel
If this is the lead in, then I’m definitely looking forward to what you have prepared.
A lot to think about, philosophically....
I was tempted to try to unpack this using a Buddhist lens but I think a Christian lens might be more useful. To me, the story is suggesting that neuralink-mediated consciousness is to 21st Century consciousness as 21st Century consciousness is to pre-Fall consciousness. That is to say: if the Fall is taken to be a cosmic error, then neuralink is an even greater error; but on the other hand, if the self-consciousness that comes with the AI-mediated ability to correlate and index every thought and memory somehow makes us more human (if humanity is equated with self-consciousness) then the Fall may not have been an error at all. Sin: "it's a feature, not a bug."
Also, good catch: the Mandarin word for "love" is "ai". What kind of cosmic message is *that*!?
This is just my attempt to understand how I feel about this story and see if anybody else here has something to add.
absolutely wonderful.
Beautifully written. What a great story. Thank you.
It's killing me I can't remember the Borges story you are riffing off of.
It was knives haunted by gauchos instead of portal guns with program ghosts....
Either way from one Borges fan to another, solid work!
I can't be the only one who noticed your neuorolink stories have been paying homage to Borges's deep cut gaucho short stories.
Absolutely fantastic. The interstice of digital and physical perspective feels completely lucid. Seamless anachronisms blending forwards and backwards in both time and matter. It's been some time since I felt such fresh sci-fi, like I was reading Neuromancer for the first time again.
This feels like a lost Gene Wolfe story. Magnificent.
I read this. Will read it again. Are you aware that there is a play button feature with this piece that reads this story? Is this a new Substack feature or have you added this? I love having an audio option.