Reading apocalyptic novels again this week but this time with an exciting twist. I had the pleasure of reading The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch and the story and depiction of the human condition were enlightening, even scary at times. One of the biggest themes of the book that immediately jumps out at me is the cancer-like growth of technology and the human condition in which we believe that we are superior to all. Starting off with technology, the main character, Shannon Moss, works for the NCIS as a time traveler to stop major crimes leading up to the Terminus—the end of the world. Shannon has dedicated her life to this job and while it may have its perks, it also comes at a cost. In the very beginning of the book, Shannon suffers hypothermia and is infected with what are called QTNs. The QTNs are small robots of nanotechnology that size of particles that can invade the human body systems and completely destroy them. When Shannon is suffering due to the QTNs, her boss explains to her: “you’re confused…The QTNs are confusing you. They’re in your blood. You have dangerous levels of them inside of you” (5). While these tiny out of control nanobots are dangerous, technology in this futuristic novel also has made medical advancements for Shannon’s mom when she is diagnosed with cancer. Shannon’s mom tells her daughter that “tiny robots [are] swimming in my blood, finding cancer cells and killing them. After all these years, all this suffering—three injections. You can tell your children someday how their grandmother was part of the first trials” (99). Even at the end, Shannon starts to lose hope and states that she’s “afraid the Terminus has us in checkmate. And humanity has already lost its match to superior intelligence” (283). The following article talks about some of the technology that is on the rise as of 2019 and how fast we are advancing in the field of technology: https://venturebeat.com/2019/11/17/exponential-tech-advances-will-change-the-world-faster-than-we-think/
These two examples show us the good and the bad of advancing technology which is a real threat in this modern day and age. Another threat that all of mankind faces is us. This is something not a lot of people think about, yet it makes logical sense when you start to think pollution, greenhouse gases, deforestation, poaching of endangered animals, overfilling landfills, and so much more. The Gone World hits this idea so hard as Shannon Moss does everything she can to stop the Terminus and slowly starts to realize that the biggest obstacle she has to face is herself and other people. The other people in this novel are barbaric in their willingness to destroy everything in their path and their reasoning is to “protect what you have, even if it means losing everything you think you want” (340). These selfish ideals make the salvation for humanity seem impossible as the FBI and NCIS agents start to see “the future of mankind dissolve” (157). This idea is further near the end of the book as Shannon begins to realize that she is “an echo” of herself (312). We resonate within ourselves and hope that our resonation is powerful enough to make a difference in the world we live in. In my opinion, humans are the biggest danger to themselves. We continue to take from the world with no thought of the consequences that could occur later. If we don’t make a serious change in our ways soon, the Terminus might come sooner than we hoped to believe. Reference for Image: https://medium.com/@drpolonski/can-we-teach-morality-to-machines-three-perspectives-on-ethics-for-artificial-intelligence-64fe479e25d3
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AuthorJosephine Graft is a passionate student who believes in the power of the human mind. Anything is achievable when you put your mind to it! Archives
April 2021
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