Perfect Imperfection
Encyclopedia
Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość. Pierwsza tercja progresu. (translated as An Ideal Imperfection: First third of progress or Perfect Imperfection) is a science fiction novel published in 2004 by the Polish science fiction
writer Jacek Dukaj
, published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Literackie
. The novel received the prime Polish award for science-fiction literature, Janusz A. Zajdel Award
, in 2004. It is the first of a planned trilogy
. Titles and publication dates of the next two volumes are not known.
, Adam Zamoyski, is recovering after an accident. At first, he thinks that he is recovering from a plane crash, and any bizarre things are hallucinations due to his convalescence. He soon finds out that to prevent him from suffering a culture shock
— or perhaps what would be better described as a profound future shock
— all information he receives is filtered through an implant, creating a semi-VR
world, and in fact he was revived in the 29th century, in a post-technological singularity
world. However, his implant becomes damaged, and he finds himself in a world where normal homo sapiens are just relics. Most of the individuals he meets are artificial intelligence
agents, scarcity
has been eliminated through nanotechnology
, virtual reality is merged with 'reality', the currency
is exotic matter
used in spacetime
experiments - and suddenly Adam is caught in the web of a trans-galactic intrigue spin-doctored by beings vastly more intelligent than an unaugmented human. What is the secret that he presumably learned before his spaceship was destroyed in the 21st century? The secret that he cannot remember, and that the science of the 29th century cannot restore, despite having resurrected him? And in a world where dedicated universes are evolved just to create a more potent weapon, can a normal human become anything more than a toy of vastly more intelligent beings?
Remy's curve, which shows the course of the humanity evolution, is one of the most fundamental concepts in Perfect Imperfection. Dukaj used concepts of anthropic principle
, technological singularity and transhumanism
to propose a division of intelligence along the lines of intelligence
and adaptation
:
The curve illustrates the relationship
between intelligence (vertical axis) and adaptation (horizontal axis), where adaptation means the ability to use for one's own purposes the resources
of the universe. It starts with animal
s and ends with the optimal form, the Ultimate Inclusion, able to utilize most efficiently all resources of the universe, both by perfecting their use of the resources and by adapting their form to the most efficient in their use. Named after the fictional scientist, Remy, this curve is supposed to be universal for all intelligent species throughout the multiverse
.
The adaptation axis is divided by two points (thresholds) into three third
s. The first third is the natural evolution. The first point, Autocreation or Physics, divides naturally evolved entities from those using technology to further evolution, but technology still limited by the physics of one universe. The second point, Meta-physical (it should be stressed - not metaphysical
), divides them from logical inclusions, which use the 'better' physics of other universes to improve themselves. Note that Dukaj defines metaphysics as the science of changing physics (physical constants).
One of the conclusions of Remy's theory is the Convergention Principle. After several centuries of evolution on second and third thirds, there is relatively little difference between various civilizations. Even if they have originated in different universes, each has spawned many subtypes, as alien to itself as any of those created by others, and in fact when they are approaching the Ultimate Inclusion they become more and more alike. First contact
may be shocking and daunting for young civilizations, but for old ones, it is just a daily occurrence, with newly encountered races being no more surprising than the new youth fashion civilization seen a few years back.
Many concepts important for stahs are mostly irrelevant for phoebes (like gender
) or inclusions (like age). Stahs are nonetheless preserved, allowed to live their lives and change into phoebes or inclusions at will, as due to elimination of scarcity
and the ability to create new universes, there is no competition for resources (at least, for such as may be used by stahs).
through changing the laws of physics themselves.
to end all space operas", but for this he had to create a scientifically plausible and challenging universe, thus creating a hard science fiction
novel. He has also described the book as "the universes are bullets, the number of dimensions are the caliber, the speed of light is gun-powder.". This analogy certainly seems to hold true, as the physical constants are just one of many things affected by the science of the 29th century in Perfect Imperfection. Drawing on modern scientific concepts like the technological singularity, Dukaj shows the reader the future through the eyes of "one of us", a 21st century astronaut. Perfect Imperfection, inspired by works of scientists such as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
, fit squarely with the trend of hard science fiction of such authors as Greg Egan
or David Brin
. As of 2010, it has not yet been translated into English
.
in Gazeta Wyborcza
, 2004-11-08 Other reviews: http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc3DC.html, http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc2MO.html, http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc1PDW.html, http://www.tawerna.rpg.pl/artykul.php?id_artykul=59
Science fiction and fantasy in Poland
Science fiction and fantasy in Poland dates to the late 18th century. During the later years of the People's Republic of Poland, social science fiction was a very popular genre of science fiction. Afterwards, many others gained prominence. Currently there are many science fiction writers in Poland....
writer Jacek Dukaj
Jacek Dukaj
Jacek Dukaj is a Polish science fiction writer. Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award , Śląkfa , Żuławski Award , Kościelski Award and the European Union Prize for Literature .-Career:Dukaj studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University...
, published in Poland by Wydawnictwo Literackie
Wydawnictwo Literackie
Wydawnictwo Literackie is a Kraków-based Polish publishing house. Since its foundation in 1953, Wydawnictwo Literackie has been focused on publishing modern prose and poetry by both renown and emerging authors, both Polish and foreign...
. The novel received the prime Polish award for science-fiction literature, Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Janusz A. Zajdel Award
The Janusz A. Zajdel Award , often called just Zajdel,is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year...
, in 2004. It is the first of a planned trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
. Titles and publication dates of the next two volumes are not known.
The story
A 21st century astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, Adam Zamoyski, is recovering after an accident. At first, he thinks that he is recovering from a plane crash, and any bizarre things are hallucinations due to his convalescence. He soon finds out that to prevent him from suffering a culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...
— or perhaps what would be better described as a profound future shock
Future Shock
Future Shock is a book written by the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. In the book, Toffler defines the term "future shock" as a certain psychological state of individuals and entire societies. His shortest definition for the term is a personal perception of "too much change in too short a period of...
— all information he receives is filtered through an implant, creating a semi-VR
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
world, and in fact he was revived in the 29th century, in a post-technological singularity
Technological singularity
Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
world. However, his implant becomes damaged, and he finds himself in a world where normal homo sapiens are just relics. Most of the individuals he meets are artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
agents, scarcity
Scarcity
Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having humans who have unlimited wants and needs in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs. Alternatively, scarcity implies that not all of society's goals can be...
has been eliminated through nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
, virtual reality is merged with 'reality', the currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
is exotic matter
Exotic matter
In physics, exotic matter is a term which refers to matter which would somehow deviate from the norm and have "exotic" properties. There are several uses of the term....
used in spacetime
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
experiments - and suddenly Adam is caught in the web of a trans-galactic intrigue spin-doctored by beings vastly more intelligent than an unaugmented human. What is the secret that he presumably learned before his spaceship was destroyed in the 21st century? The secret that he cannot remember, and that the science of the 29th century cannot restore, despite having resurrected him? And in a world where dedicated universes are evolved just to create a more potent weapon, can a normal human become anything more than a toy of vastly more intelligent beings?
The universe
As with all of Dukaj's novels, the world of Perfect Imperfection is teeming with various concepts and ideas.Remy's curve
Remy's curve, which shows the course of the humanity evolution, is one of the most fundamental concepts in Perfect Imperfection. Dukaj used concepts of anthropic principle
Anthropic principle
In astrophysics and cosmology, the anthropic principle is the philosophical argument that observations of the physical Universe must be compatible with the conscious life that observes it. Some proponents of the argument reason that it explains why the Universe has the age and the fundamental...
, technological singularity and transhumanism
Transhumanism
Transhumanism, often abbreviated as H+ or h+, is an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human...
to propose a division of intelligence along the lines of intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
and adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
:
- Standard Homo Sapiens are normal humans
- Post-Human Beings is the next level of the evolution of human beings. Supported by artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, one of the characteristics of a phoebe is its ability to divide itself into many copies with various levels, tasks and levels of autonomy, each of which can be tasked with analyzing and dealing with parts of reality. Another characteristic is the ability to transform both their bodies and minds. - Ultimate Computer is the computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
using the best hardwareHardwareHardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
as allowed by the physical constantPhysical constantA physical constant is a physical quantity that is generally believed to be both universal in nature and constant in time. It can be contrasted with a mathematical constant, which is a fixed numerical value but does not directly involve any physical measurement.There are many physical constants in...
s of our universe. See also physics of computationPhysics of computationThe study of the physics of computation relates to understanding the fundamental physical limits of computers. This field has led to the investigation of how thermodynamics limits information processing, the understanding of chaos and dynamical systems, and a rapidly growing effort to invent new...
. - Inclusions are in essence 'pocket universeUniverseThe Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
s'. They are created for specific entities to run hardware in a dedicated universe with physical constantPhysical constantA physical constant is a physical quantity that is generally believed to be both universal in nature and constant in time. It can be contrasted with a mathematical constant, which is a fixed numerical value but does not directly involve any physical measurement.There are many physical constants in...
s different from ours, allowing for better performance than those in our universe - Ultimate Inclusion is the inclusion with the best possible set of physical constants in the entire multiverseParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
The curve illustrates the relationship
Relation (mathematics)
In set theory and logic, a relation is a property that assigns truth values to k-tuples of individuals. Typically, the property describes a possible connection between the components of a k-tuple...
between intelligence (vertical axis) and adaptation (horizontal axis), where adaptation means the ability to use for one's own purposes the resources
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
of the universe. It starts with animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s and ends with the optimal form, the Ultimate Inclusion, able to utilize most efficiently all resources of the universe, both by perfecting their use of the resources and by adapting their form to the most efficient in their use. Named after the fictional scientist, Remy, this curve is supposed to be universal for all intelligent species throughout the multiverse
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
.
The adaptation axis is divided by two points (thresholds) into three third
Third
Third may refer to:*3 , such as the 3rd of something -see also Ordinal number *Fraction , such as 1/3*1/60 of a second, or 1/3,600 of a minute *Third World, economically underdeveloped nations...
s. The first third is the natural evolution. The first point, Autocreation or Physics, divides naturally evolved entities from those using technology to further evolution, but technology still limited by the physics of one universe. The second point, Meta-physical (it should be stressed - not metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
), divides them from logical inclusions, which use the 'better' physics of other universes to improve themselves. Note that Dukaj defines metaphysics as the science of changing physics (physical constants).
One of the conclusions of Remy's theory is the Convergention Principle. After several centuries of evolution on second and third thirds, there is relatively little difference between various civilizations. Even if they have originated in different universes, each has spawned many subtypes, as alien to itself as any of those created by others, and in fact when they are approaching the Ultimate Inclusion they become more and more alike. First contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
may be shocking and daunting for young civilizations, but for old ones, it is just a daily occurrence, with newly encountered races being no more surprising than the new youth fashion civilization seen a few years back.
Many concepts important for stahs are mostly irrelevant for phoebes (like gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
) or inclusions (like age). Stahs are nonetheless preserved, allowed to live their lives and change into phoebes or inclusions at will, as due to elimination of scarcity
Scarcity
Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having humans who have unlimited wants and needs in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs. Alternatively, scarcity implies that not all of society's goals can be...
and the ability to create new universes, there is no competition for resources (at least, for such as may be used by stahs).
Craft
Craft (or kraft) is the practice of meta-physics, the science of changing the physical constants, or shaping of spacetimeSpacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
through changing the laws of physics themselves.
Interpretations and influences
Dukaj himself wrote that he set out to write "a space operaSpace opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
to end all space operas", but for this he had to create a scientifically plausible and challenging universe, thus creating a hard science fiction
Hard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
novel. He has also described the book as "the universes are bullets, the number of dimensions are the caliber, the speed of light is gun-powder.". This analogy certainly seems to hold true, as the physical constants are just one of many things affected by the science of the 29th century in Perfect Imperfection. Drawing on modern scientific concepts like the technological singularity, Dukaj shows the reader the future through the eyes of "one of us", a 21st century astronaut. Perfect Imperfection, inspired by works of scientists such as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of both Piltdown Man and Peking Man. Teilhard conceived the idea of the Omega Point and developed Vladimir Vernadsky's concept of Noosphere...
, fit squarely with the trend of hard science fiction of such authors as Greg Egan
Greg Egan
Greg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
or David Brin
David Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
. As of 2010, it has not yet been translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
External links
"Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość" Jacka Dukaja Review by Wojciech OrlińskiWojciech Orlinski
Wojciech Orliński is a Polish journalist, writer, and blogger. Since 1997, he is regular columnist in Gazeta Wyborcza. He has published science-fiction stories and opinion pieces in Nowa Fantastyka.-Books:...
in Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, 2004-11-08 Other reviews: http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc3DC.html, http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc2MO.html, http://dukaj.fantastyka.art.pl/recenzje/PerfekcyjnaNiedoskonalosc1PDW.html, http://www.tawerna.rpg.pl/artykul.php?id_artykul=59