The Dark Forest – Analogyman

This is where the short read goes

Part Two of Cixin Liu’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past Trilogy

To help his reader understand the DARK FOREST concept Cixin Lui introduces in his 2nd novel and he explains two very important ideas─ The Fermi Paradox and The Axioms of Cosmic Civilization. The Fermi Paradox is currently at the root of much of the controversies in modern cosmology, and Cixin Lui’s fictionalization has allowed the subject to be discussed by both SF fans and professional cosmologists.

Here for example is a summary of the Fermi Paradox from the website of the University of Edinburg’s Higgs Center for Theoretical Physics: https://higgs.ph.ed.ac.uk/outreach/higgshalloween-2021/fermi-paradox

“What if the universe was the forest, and humanity—and every other technologically advanced civilization—were the hunters. So posits the Dark Forest hypothesis, a solution to the famous Fermi Paradox. The Earth has developed a civilization capable of interstellar communication. If we assume that the solar system is typical of the billions and billions of similar systems, then where is everyone? The universe should be teeming with intelligent life leaving indelible marks on their systems which we should easily be able to detect. And yet, we see nothing.

Dr Anna Lisa Varri, theoretical astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh and Researcher at the Higgs Centre, summarizes the problem perfectly: “If intelligent life is common in the Universe, where is everybody? This simple statement actually hides a deep problem that sits at the very heart of modern astrobiology: the existence and likelihood of life beyond Earth.”

Many solutions to the Fermi Paradox have been suggested over the years. Of these, The Dark Forest hypothesis is possibly the most chilling. First proposed in Liu Cixin’s novel The Dark Forest, it argues that the intentions of any newly contacted civilization can never be known, meaning that, if one is encountered, it is best to shoot first and ask questions later to avoid the destruction of one’s own species. As a result, all advanced civilizations keep silent, with any who stick their heads above the parapet destroyed by those fearful of their intentions. This taciturn pact of mutually assured destruction is what ensures the silence we observe in the cosmos. ET is out there, but they’re too scared to tell us, or, if not, they’ve already been destroyed.”

Can you see how that an explanation for reality can saturate an entire civilization and produce problems that are not easily understood or resolved? Cixin Lui’s explanation for “the Fermi Paradox”, in his novel The Dark Forest is one of the latest examples of how a simple explanation for the Universe can be turned into a complex problem for the entire human race─ maybe even for the universe!

What am I talking about here? I’m talking about the “scientific roots” of Cixin Lui’s “Science Fiction”. A strong hint of what these roots are at the heart of what he calls “The Axioms of Cosmic Civilization” which he introduces in great detail in The Dark Forest.

The two axioms are:

First:

“Survival is the primary need of civilization.”

Second:

“Civilization continuously grows and expands, but the total matter in the universe remains constant.”

The consequences of believing and adopting these AXIOMS as the governing dynamics of intelligent life are tremendously harmful. They are immediately recognizable as Charles Darwin’s infamous slogan, “survival of the fittest.”

Essentially, Cixin Lui is most definitely a staunch believer in the ideology of his culture. He is a thorough-going atheist and because of his creativity he has succeeded in bringing to life what is truly the ultimate result of atheism. The comment made by a fan on Quinn’s Ideas channel summarizes the ultimate affect of Atheism when it is fully understood and taken to heart:

“I introduced one of my best friends to the series. He’s currently reading The Dark Forest – not even halfway through – and he called me and I listened to his existential crisis for 30 mins. I told him, not to worry, you’ll soon forget about your crisis because it will be replaced by pure terror. 😬”

What is this “existential crisis” this person is having? Is it a figment of his imagination ? Is it a symptom of some neurological malfunction? No. It is nihilism. It is the ultimate result of atheism taken from the head right into the heart.[1]

And this is what The Dark Forest has the potential of doing to the human race. It can bring SF fans to a vision of the universe which obviously their university educations have not been able to do. It can bring millions of Chinese (who rightly admire the work of Cixin Lui) to a quick understanding that the reason for most of the problems in human society is that the simple 2 Body Problem which was solvable for the first five millennia of human history is now made impossible to fix because of some very complicated ideas forced into the mix by well-meaning (but ignorant) people.

In other words, the 3 Body Problem and The Dark Forest are the result of some pretty deep thinking by some pretty smart people, except for the fact that they left out the explanation given by ONE BODY, the most important One─ the Creator.