Ted Chiang: The Secret Third Thing

5 days ago

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Ted Chiang is considered one of the best science fiction short story writers alive, possibly the best overall.
Chiang writes 'true' science fiction, where scientific principles differ from our world but remain internally consistent.
Examples include 'Omphalos' (Young Earth Creationism is true) and 'Seventy-Two Letters' (Kabbalah-driven technology).
Chiang explores social sciences, like in 'Story of Your Life', where language affects perception of time.
Unlike many modern sci-fi writers, Chiang portrays technology as beneficial, enhancing human experience.
Chiang's stories often explore compatibilism, reconciling free will with determinism, making philosophical ideas visceral.
His endings recontextualize the narrative, feeling inevitable rather than surprising, enhancing re-readability.
Chiang's weaknesses include limited exploration of societal impacts of technology and fewer philosophical explorations outside compatibilism.
Highly recommended works: 'Stories of Your Life' and 'Exhalation'.

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