When I browsed through the longlist for the Booker Prize 2020, one novel stood out. Love and Other Thought Experiments is composed of 10 stories, each of which is inspired by a specific philosophical thought experiment, mostly relating to metaphysics.
Ever since I took a philosophy course at Birkbeck’s certificate programme, I have been obsessed with metaphysics and epistemology. And I chose to write my final essay about Descartes’ Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) which is one of the thought experiments in the novel.
Playing with reality in popular culture is nothing new. One of my favourite examples is The Matrix. Most people probably watch it for the spectacular action scenes, but it actually builds on one of the fundamental questions in philosophy. What is reality and how can we know it? We might all be cocooned in narrow boxes connected to electrodes, which feed us a virtual reality, making us believe we are living a full life. We have no means of knowing.
If you think such a reality sounds farfetched, try googling Boltzmann brains, which are brains floating around in the universe with memories of a life that never happened. Under certain conditions it can be shown that we are statistically more likely to be Boltzmann brains than humans living on a planet called Earth. Mind-blowing, huh?
A couple of weeks ago in my review of The Birds, I wrote about the threat of superintelligence (AI considerably more intelligent than humans) taking over the world. This is also a theme in Love and Other Thought Experiments, but it turns out we don’t need AI; humans are fully capable of destructing their own lives without any assistance.
The ten stories, which are closely interconnected, revolve around modern families. The couple Eliza and Rachel and their son, Arthur, are central figures. The first story focuses on the relationship between the couple.
“In their four years together she had often felt like this, both there and not there, connected, yet keeping a part of herself separate, as though for emergencies.”
We also meet Rachel’s parents, who have tried to escape their mundane life by moving to Brazil. In later chapters we follow Rachel’s fight against cancer and the way it affects the people around her, including Arthur’s biological father Hal and his partner Greg.
Even if most characters only appear in a few chapters, I found myself emotionally engaged in them and thought the book would be worth reading just for the author’s take on our modern human condition. However, it is the utilisation of the thought experiments and plays with reality, which make the book stand out. This is philosophical fiction in its most entertaining form; playful, thought-provoking and extremely clever.
Through much of Love and Other Thought Experiments, I just had a big smile on my face. This is my kind of book! If possible, I would give it more than 5 stars. It may not appeal to everyone, though. The format is conceptual and experimental, which may prevent some readers from engaging. I don’t think, it’s a prerequisite, but a basic knowledge about philosophy, AI and computer science will probably make it easier to understand all the references.
If you think the name Sophie Ward sounds familiar, it may be because she is an actress with quite a long list of films and television behind her. She also has a degree in literature and philosophy and a PhD in the use of narrative in philosophy of mind.
Title: Love and Other Thought Experiments [2020] Author: Sophie Ward Format: AudioBook, narrated by Sophie Ward Genre: Philosophical Fiction
This book sounds great and it’s definitely going straight on my tbr. I love books that have something profound to say, although I often get to the end and feel like I’ve missed something.
Oh, I really hope you will enjoy it, if you decide to read it, I thought it was so much fun. I don’t think you will feel you missed something, but honestly I don’t want to say too much. It’s best to know as little as possible in advance with this one and I’m afraid I already said more than I should in my review.
I think you managed the review quite well personally. It was enough to persuade me to read it, but it didn’t feel like it gave anything away.
I am glad to hear that! 🙂
This one’s been on my radar for a while, so it’s good to hear you rate it so highly!
I think you might enjoy this one, Callum!
Yes, I would like to read this. Thanks for the review. The first, and last, time I saw Sophie Ward was in Strictly Come Dancing!
At Strictly Come Dancing?! I guess she has many talents… 😁
Yes, she was very good!
This certainly sounds interesting. I’m always worried I don’t get the deeper meaning of these books though if that makes any sense. Great review Stargazer!
Thanks Inge! To be honest, I often wonder if I get the deeper meaning of the books I read. But it doesn’t bother me too much – as long as I enjoy the books, all is good, no?
It’s not necessary but it’s a good feeling if you really get it. If you don’t then I certainly don’t have to try 😋 but I’m sure you do! 😘
Yes, I suppose you are right. But there are also books (such as novels by the Japanese author Murakami) which don’t have a predefined deeper meaning. It’s completely up to the individual reader to define their own meaning. I kinda like that even if confusing to begin with! 😊
Sounds like my kind of book as well! I googled Boltzmann’s brains and I must say, I didn’t expect that I’d spend my Sunday evening imagining floating brains in space, but here we are 😀
When I first heard about Boltzmann’s brains on the radio, I actually chuckled. I just love stuff like that, so weird! Haha, glad I could add a bit of colour to your Sunday evening! 😁
Haha, I do too, so thanks for introducing me to them! 😀
👍
Hmm, interesting ideas, thanks for sharing, I had not run into this one
There certainly were some interesting ideas in this one and I loved the way the author effortless combined various genres.
Too much for my simple brain to comprehend, I suspect – I haven’t really managed to grasp “normal” “reality” yet, much less venturing into the realms of all the other “realities” that might be “real”… 😉
Haha, I see what you mean. But of course the whole point is, we don’t know what our “normal” reality is. Theoretically, you could be a Boltzmann’s brain or be living in The Matrix and all this about people walking around and living a full life is something which belongs in the sci-fi / imaginary world.
Well, whoever is imagining me, I wish they hadn’t dumped me in a dystopia… 😉
🤣 Wait, I probably shouldn’t laugh, but that was a great comment! Hopefully – whoever they are – will soon tire of this scenario and come up with something else / better.
I’m not at all certain whether this book is for me, but I’m intrigued enough to find out.
Yeah, I don’t think everyone would enjoy it. It’s like a mix of modern contemporary, philosophy and sci-fi. But I for one thought it was very cleverly done and I am happy that a book like this got included on the Booker longlist. It definitely wasn’t a “safe” choice.
Which is always good.
Very interesting! I’m putting this on my TBR – though, admittedly, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to read it 😉
It really is! I guess you may not see the sci-fi element as that original (I believe your read quite a lot of sci-fi?) but it’s the combination of genres and ideas, which is brilliant.
I’m so glad you confirmed that the author is THE Sophie Ward. The name leapt out at me and I rather dismissed it – a common name and such an unlikely path for the actress to have taken. It just goes to show that even in what we think of as the ‘real’ reality, individuals can travel through many versions 😊 I think I would enjoy this one at the right time. I’m so jaded at the moment and with very little working brain…. Maybe another time!
Aww Sandra, that was such a clever comment. I love the idea that we are not being stuck, but can travel through different versions of ourselves within the same reality. Sophie Ward certainly seems to able to. You are probably right about this book. Even if not a difficult read, you’ll get most out of it with an alert brain. I got through it in my Christmas break, where I had lots of time and energy. 😊
Wow, this sounds so clever, interesting and different!
It really was, Meggy, a very unusual mix of genres.
Have you chanced across the Netflix series, Black Mirror? I often find myself thinking about the philosphical questions and possibilities behind one episode or the other. It seems like we could draw some parallels between this book and the series.
No, I haven’t heard of it. I don’t really watch too much television. But it sounds fascinating – there is nothing better than when a show or a book makes you think about the philosophical questions in life. Thanks for the recommendation!