While reading "Exhalation," I couldn't help but notice the parallels that Chiang is drawing between the world that these people inhabit and our own. Specifically, I'm speaking of the idea that we live in a world where our mere existence will one day result in our extinction. In the story, the people's (if we can call them that; their physical descriptions seem more like robots) use of argon for physical and cognitive power is causing the air pressure in the atmosphere and the air pressure in their underground reservoir to even out, in which case the air flow will stop and they will no longer be able to live. Compare this with our use of fossil fuels (also underground reservoirs) which cause our atmosphere to heat up, making life that much more difficult for us. It is arguable though that our society would not exist without fossil fuels, just as their society would not exist without argon. There is also the parallel that some groups seek to reverse the trend of climate change while others have become complacent with the inevitability of it. Curiously enough, most people in "Exhalation" don't deny that their air pressure evening out and posing a threat to their survival, while in our society there are plenty of people who deny climate change.
So what is Chiang trying to say when he shows the people in "Exhalation" face their climate change problem head-on? What is he saying when he shows the main character accept the inevitability of their death instead of trying to fix the problem?
I agree with the idea that we will ultimately bring about our own extinction and the parallels between the societies you mentioned, but I think the main difference between us and the people in the story is the means by which that will occur. Their problem was the equilibration of the universe and the simple act of living and thinking was accelerating it. It seems to me (and I may be wrong) that they are creating order out of chaos, which in their universe is the ultimate problem. In our universe, our bodies also create order out of chaos, which is remarkable, as the default tendency in our universe is to increase disorder, increase entropy. It is our actions (i.e. our use of fossil fuels, industrialization, pollution, etc.) which are furthering the destruction of our world. It is the act of creating chaos out of order that is our problem. I do not think the simple act of living, perhaps as our distant ancestors did, is the cause of our problems with climate change.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the main character's acceptance of death is akin to our own attitude towards death. Obviously, there are some who will fight it and try to build machines that will reverse the equilibration of air pressure, but others will accept that it is inevitable, because it is caused by the act of living.