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A review by remlezar
Permutation City by Greg Egan
5.0
Permutation City, more than any other book in recent memory, blew my mind. It explores territory that is as horrifying as it is interesting. At its core, the novel is about blurring the line that defines what it is to be human, or at least, what it is to be alive. If it was possible to create an exact clone of a person, complete with the original person’s feelings, memories, thoughts, and fears, is that clone a human? Most people would respond in the affirmative to this question, I think. After all, a perfect clone is a flesh and blood thing, and it can interact with other humans just like anyone else. If you did not know the clone was a clone, it would be impossible to discern the difference between the clone and anyone else.
But what if that clone was a perfect digital copy of a person? It still has all of the original’s thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams, but it’s missing a traditional body. Does that matter? Isn’t our mind what makes us human? I don’t think anyone would argue that getting a prosthetic leg makes someone less human, so why would it be any different if the entire body was gone?
If there is a digital copy of a person, what does it mean to be the “original?” The copy still has all of the original’s memories, and isn’t that what makes the original the original? Is the idea of an “original” in this scenario even worth considering? Or is this more like the splitting of a person – they both have a shared life before the copy, but now they are each free to live completely separate lives with entirely unique experiences.
What if you could make any number of copies of that simulated person? Does each still have the same value as the flesh and blood person the copies are based on? For the digital copies themselves, they would almost surely believe their life has value. Isn’t the ability to recognize oneself in that way worth something? Isn’t it worth everything?
Does it matter that this hypothetical person is simulated? Why should a simulated life be any less meaningful than a “real” life? If you were to somehow discover that the life you’ve been leading was a simulation, you would very likely hold onto the idea that your simulated life had value. Or maybe you would lose your mind, whatever that might mean in that context.
What if you could take these scanned, simulated people and put them into a simulated world together? This world would undoubtedly be very different than the one we know, but, to those inside, is it any less real? And if it is real to the people (if we’re calling them people) inside the simulation, how can anyone outside of it claim that it isn’t?
What if this simulated world could last for thousands, millions, or even billions of years? The people inside could outlive their flesh and blood counterparts. Are they living a kind of immortal life? In a scenario where they do outlive their flesh and blood counterparts, are humans extinct? Or are the people in the simulation still human?
What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be human?
***
Permutation City isn’t perfect. There are significant narrative issues that fester throughout the novel, and most of the characters didn’t do much for me. The “Dust Theory” idea presented about halfway through was so mindbogglingly confusing that I had break to do some outside research, which I am glad I did. But the incredibly powerful ideas and questions that this book raised and explored are more than enough to land it on my “favorite books I read this year” list. After letting it digest for a while, It might even end up on my list of “favorite books I’ve ever read," for what that’s worth.
But what if that clone was a perfect digital copy of a person? It still has all of the original’s thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams, but it’s missing a traditional body. Does that matter? Isn’t our mind what makes us human? I don’t think anyone would argue that getting a prosthetic leg makes someone less human, so why would it be any different if the entire body was gone?
If there is a digital copy of a person, what does it mean to be the “original?” The copy still has all of the original’s memories, and isn’t that what makes the original the original? Is the idea of an “original” in this scenario even worth considering? Or is this more like the splitting of a person – they both have a shared life before the copy, but now they are each free to live completely separate lives with entirely unique experiences.
What if you could make any number of copies of that simulated person? Does each still have the same value as the flesh and blood person the copies are based on? For the digital copies themselves, they would almost surely believe their life has value. Isn’t the ability to recognize oneself in that way worth something? Isn’t it worth everything?
Does it matter that this hypothetical person is simulated? Why should a simulated life be any less meaningful than a “real” life? If you were to somehow discover that the life you’ve been leading was a simulation, you would very likely hold onto the idea that your simulated life had value. Or maybe you would lose your mind, whatever that might mean in that context.
What if you could take these scanned, simulated people and put them into a simulated world together? This world would undoubtedly be very different than the one we know, but, to those inside, is it any less real? And if it is real to the people (if we’re calling them people) inside the simulation, how can anyone outside of it claim that it isn’t?
What if this simulated world could last for thousands, millions, or even billions of years? The people inside could outlive their flesh and blood counterparts. Are they living a kind of immortal life? In a scenario where they do outlive their flesh and blood counterparts, are humans extinct? Or are the people in the simulation still human?
What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be human?
***
Permutation City isn’t perfect. There are significant narrative issues that fester throughout the novel, and most of the characters didn’t do much for me. The “Dust Theory” idea presented about halfway through was so mindbogglingly confusing that I had break to do some outside research, which I am glad I did. But the incredibly powerful ideas and questions that this book raised and explored are more than enough to land it on my “favorite books I read this year” list. After letting it digest for a while, It might even end up on my list of “favorite books I’ve ever read," for what that’s worth.