5 Sci-Fi Books About Consciousness

And an interesting implication of this setting is that consciousness isn't innate to a species, but rather it is environmentally dependent. It also suggests that consciousness isn't a binary experience, but is something that exists on a spectrum, and its point on the spectrum is not a fixed one.

And this is a rather bleak and nihilistic outlook. Personally, I'd rather try to appreciate the benefits of consciousness. And I do rather hope that we are not on the path to an emotional death and cold intelligent efficiency, but I do appreciate the fact that Watts made me question certain assumptions about consciousness.

And so both these forms of intelligence challenge the reader to consider where on the spectrum of consciousness deserves the same moral consideration that we give to human consciousness.

So, go read Permutation City. It's one of the most mind-blowing books I have ever read.

And Lim takes an interesting approach to alien consciousness. As the book is less about what alien consciousness could look like and more so about how limited humans may be in any attempt to understand it.