Transparent Minds in Science Fiction: An Introduction to Alien, AI and Post-Human Consciousness by Paul Matthews

(OpenBook Publishers, 2023)

Reviewed by Steven French

Almost fifty years ago, the philosopher Thomas Nagel posed the question “What is it like to be a bat?” as a way of illuminating the ineluctably subjective nature of consciousness. Noting that Nagel himself acknowledged that imagination offers a way of approaching the issue (p. 8), Matthews displays an impressive array of examples throughout this introductory survey to support his core claim that,

‘…science fiction with a psycho-emotional flavour can provide new insight into both current human consciousness and also possible future states of consciousness in both ourselves and the machines we create.’ (p. 2)

These examples are not only taken from a selection of ‘classics’ by the likes of Aldiss, Clarke and Lem but also from more recent contributions by Gibson, Jemisin, Leckie and others. Taken together they illustrate a number of different approaches to the challenge of pinning down the ‘numinous’ character of alien, post-human and AI-based consciousness, from the simple use of alternative character pronouns to the adoption of non-standard narrative modes and styles. So, for example, in Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, gestural communication is used to convey the alterity of the reptilian Aandrisk, whereas Gwyneth Jones employs ‘a deliberately pixelated narrative exposition’ (p. 49) in her novel White Queen to similar effect. The danger, of course, is that attempts to convey ‘otherness’, whilst avoiding what William Gibson called ‘expository lumps’ (p. 24), may generate confusion and even incomprehensibility.

Typically, this is avoided by deploying some form of ‘anchor’ in order to help the reader keep a grip on the narrative. In some cases, this can be quite abstract: China Miéville, for example, has emphasised the importance of metaphor in this respect (p. 25), with its tendency to generate associated resonances and ‘riffs’ (which brings to mind the Star Trek: Next Generation episode ‘Darmok’, sadly not mentioned here). Others have gone for more concrete ‘touch-points’, as in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s octopus-like characters in Children of Ruin (p. 14 and p. 21), inspired by philosopher of science Peter Godfrey-Smith’s work, Other Minds. Likewise, both Anne McCaffrey and Aliette de Bodard, in The Ship Who Sang and The Tea Master and the Detective, respectively, give their shipminds human traits in order to open an empathic path for the reader. However, given the context, I was surprised to find no examples from the works of Iain M. Banks, with his evocatively named Culture ships.

Similarly, there’s no mention of the Borg in Matthews’ discussion of hive- and distributed minds, which otherwise acutely examines the benefits and pitfalls associated with connected consciousness, whether via some fungal parasite as in Brian Aldiss’s Hothouse, or through telepathy in Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human. This nicely leads into the consideration of posthuman consciousness and the quest for transcendence, via mind uploading, for example. Here we see a definite shift from the optimism found in Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End and Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker, to a more pessimistic outlook presented in Ted Chiang’s short story ‘Understand’, with N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series perhaps laying somewhere in between. However, although feminist critics, in particular, have noted ‘the domination of visions of posthumanism by existing societal power structures’ (p. 101), Matthews suggests that these stories may yet allow the possibility of positive outcomes for humanity.

Although I’m not convinced that Matthews has quite done enough to support his claim that science fiction can actually yield new insights into consciousness, nevertheless, with its contrasting examples tied together with philosophical, literary and scientific commentaries—all deployed with a light touch—this slim volume is rich with thought-provoking interconnections and suggestions. (And it’s free to access on-line!)

Review from BSFA Review 23 - Download your copy here.