Recursion (novel)
Encyclopedia
Recursion is Tony Ballantyne
's first novel. It is in the science fiction
genre and follows three separate characters and their stories in a futuristic dystopia
.
Of high import to the storyline is the concept of the Singularity, a point in the near future when the evolution of technology reaches such a speed that thinking machines outpace human minds, a point beyond which we cannot possibly predict what will happen; and that of von Neumann machine
s, self-replicating robots that use available raw resources to make copies of themselves. The implication is that a system of such machines (just one would suffice) that is allowed to reproduce unchecked will in short order devour
entire biosphere
s, perhaps even entire solar systems or galaxies if these von Neumann machines are equipped with propulsion devices. An interesting corollary
to this is that if two systems of von Neumann machines are battling for resources, the winner will not be decided by which group has the most members; the victorious system will be the one that reproduces faster. Also brought up by Ballantyne is the intriguing possibility of being copied and inserted into a simulation
. Bostrom's tripartition tends to suggest that we ourselves are living in a simulated universe. Moments exist in Recursion in which the main character is rather unsure if he is in reality or a simulation — certain bugs in the program make themselves apparent, such as blank spaces appearing between buildings and the ground, causing him to question reality. Eventually it becomes apparent that he has been copied multiple times, and inserted into various simulations, and that what he thinks of as his identity is truly not the original, but merely one of many copies. It can be argued, however, that perfect copies, at the moment of creation, are identical and indistinguishable from their originals. A copy is the original, so to speak.
Tony Ballantyne
Tony Ballantyne is a British science-fiction author known for his debut trilogy of novels, including Recursion, Capacity and Divergence...
's first novel. It is in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
genre and follows three separate characters and their stories in a futuristic dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
.
Of high import to the storyline is the concept of the Singularity, a point in the near future when the evolution of technology reaches such a speed that thinking machines outpace human minds, a point beyond which we cannot possibly predict what will happen; and that of von Neumann machine
Von Neumann machine
Von Neumann machine may refer to:.* Von Neumann architecture, a conceptual model of a computer architecture* The IAS machine, a computer designed in the 1940s based on von Neuman's design...
s, self-replicating robots that use available raw resources to make copies of themselves. The implication is that a system of such machines (just one would suffice) that is allowed to reproduce unchecked will in short order devour
Grey goo
Grey goo is a hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves, a scenario known as ecophagy .Self-replicating machines of the macroscopic variety were originally...
entire biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
s, perhaps even entire solar systems or galaxies if these von Neumann machines are equipped with propulsion devices. An interesting corollary
Corollary
A corollary is a statement that follows readily from a previous statement.In mathematics a corollary typically follows a theorem. The use of the term corollary, rather than proposition or theorem, is intrinsically subjective...
to this is that if two systems of von Neumann machines are battling for resources, the winner will not be decided by which group has the most members; the victorious system will be the one that reproduces faster. Also brought up by Ballantyne is the intriguing possibility of being copied and inserted into a simulation
Simulated reality
Simulated reality is the proposition that reality could be simulated—perhaps by computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds which may or may not be fully aware that they are living inside a simulation....
. Bostrom's tripartition tends to suggest that we ourselves are living in a simulated universe. Moments exist in Recursion in which the main character is rather unsure if he is in reality or a simulation — certain bugs in the program make themselves apparent, such as blank spaces appearing between buildings and the ground, causing him to question reality. Eventually it becomes apparent that he has been copied multiple times, and inserted into various simulations, and that what he thinks of as his identity is truly not the original, but merely one of many copies. It can be argued, however, that perfect copies, at the moment of creation, are identical and indistinguishable from their originals. A copy is the original, so to speak.