[Books] Manifold Trilogy, Stephen Baxter

I just finished to read "Manifold: Origin".

As the other books of the Manifold sequel, this book spans thoughts of a galactic dimension, tries to answer the fermi paradox (if we are not alone in the universe, where are the aliens?), and teaches through description as much as it entertains by its fictional story. The characters belongs to several species of hominids, which permits the author to describe their mutual relationships in biology as in history.

DON'T READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU'RE GOING TO READ THE BOOKS!!!
Each Manifold book tries to answer the Fermi's paradox in its own way.

• In "Manifold: Time", (from what I remember, I read it a long time ago), humanity is not alone but almost, because most species either suppres themselves or enter a "virtual" world (like the whole population starts playing EverQuest forever) and trigger super-novae so that no other species can evolve to come and disturb them. I liked the concept of a whole species entering a virtual world of their own, but the other theories are far fetched.
• In "Manifold: Space", the universe is full of life, but each species learned early to hide itself for fear to bring competition from other stars, or disapeared from this competition. I like this one particularily because the change of paradigm that it supposes (we don't see the alien because they don't exist vs because they hide themselves or disapeared through competition and evolution) seems to me similar to the change of paradigm undergone with the birth of paleontology and darwinism (we don't see other form of life because they don't exist vs because they disapeared).
• In "Manifold: Origin", an ancient species, similar to hominids, created the universe such that hominids are alone there, for fear that other species would anihilate the hominids, but created many parallel universes so that many hominid species could evolve separately and not be lonely. It seemed a bit too antropocentric for me, it sounds too close to the belief that the whole universe is centered on Earth and humankind.

I like those books, they leave me with thought about colonizing the solar system, the universe beyond, about the survival and spread (both closely linked, when you consider the risk of Earth being collided with another body) of the species or at least of our eco-system, about destiny. I wish politicals leaders could afford to have such a long term view, but I guess that it is reserved to prophets, not to politicians... And anyway it would be already great if they cared a bit for the survival of humanity whithin the next 500 years: ecology and social engineering shouldn't be minor features!

[Books]

Et deux posts en Francais, deux!

J'ai fini pendant le WE un super livre intitulle "THERESE, LA NAISSANCE D'UNE NATION", de Pierre Carron. C'est un roman dit "historique", qui raconte une histoire en placant plein de faits historiques aux passages, profitant des visites que les personnages font et de leur souvenirs. C'est une maniere tres agreable d'aborder l'histoire, ca devrait etre obligatoire dand les cours en college et lycee, ou les profs sont tellement obnibules par la necessite de distribuer des notes qu'ils en oublient d'enseigner l'amour d'apprendre !!!

Je n'avais pas lu de livre en Français depuis un bail, ca m'a fait du bien. Mais ca ne m'a pas empêché d'enchainer sur un livre en anglais dans l'avion au retour: "Manifold Origin", de Stephen Baxter. C'est de la science fiction comme je l'aime, une histoire agréable a lire qui en profite pour introduire pas mal de science (un peu comme pour le roman historique, quand j'y pense). J'avais déjà lu les tomes précédents "Manifold Space" et "Manifold Time", qui reprennent chacun les mêmes caractères (je suppose que l'auteur n'a pas envie d'en inventer d'autre) mais explore des aspects différents de la situation de la race humaine par rapport au reste de l'univers, notamment par rapport au paradoxe de Fermi et a la question de savoir si l'on est tout seul dans l'univers...

Il faudra que j’écrive un article coup de gueule un jour contre les livres ou cours qui ne sont que contenus, nombres et faits, et contre les livres qui ne sont que contenants, romance débiles ou autres. C'est comme se gaver de sucre après avoir s’être nourri de pilules alimentaires: c'est tellement mieux de combiner les deux! Mais pour cela il faudrait pouvoir enseigner aux élèves sans les noter, ce qui n'est pas autorise avant la majorité dans le système scolaire actuel.

Il faut refaire le monde!

[Books]

My parents left yesterday, with moult adventures, as a plane exploded in the airport while they were still waiting for their flight. Now they should be safe in France, but I am still waiting for them to call. Waiting, I read. I was reading "Histoire du Juif Errant", from Jean d'Ormesson, which is one of those great books which teach some notions of history or philosophy while still entertaining. Among the various concepts that this books raises in me is the notion that democracy might be the ultimate form of government for us as much as empires were for other people: just by lack of imagination and inertia of history. With a little bit of faith, the next form of government is yet to be imagined and implemented. To take a break from those huge considerations, I read overnight a book offered to me by Evelyne, my mother: "Ulik au pays du desordre amoureux", from Francois Lelord. I liked this book so much that I checked if it had been translated in English to offer it around me, and that I thought about offering it through amazon to a friend in Paris (heya Lara, send me your snail mail address!). Again a book which, while entertaining you with the story of a sympathetic character discovering occidental culture, shares some deep considerations about the balance of exchanges between men and women in society, and between man and woman in a couple. Too much reading and not enough work: it is time to earn my salary for today!