Well crafted and formulaic

This story was well crafted and formulaic after the fashion of the Odyssey, the Iliad and Star Wars. The cast was replete with clever yet flawed heroes and memorable side kicks.

On the other hand, the story was also a truly earnest work of philosophy. Jeremy Robinson explores the unsettling epistemology of the simulation hypothesis and zeroes in on three essential themes.

First, he explores the reasons why those of us who derive most of our knowledge from online sources (only a third of us) find the simulation hypothesis so unsettling and (whether or not we buy it) compelling. In doing so, he helps prepare readers for the confusion that neurotechnology will eventually cause us all.

Second, he explores how living engrossed in digital feeds and stimulating media can cause us to become so self-centered that we radically dehumanize other people who we view as boring, stupid or annoying.

Finally, Robinson identifies the leap from radical reductionism (the belief that the universe is governed laws so simple they can be expressed as an algorithm) to simulation theory (the “question” if nature is so algorithmic that it could be a simulation, then who programmed it?) with the leap of faith that Christians and other religious folks take when they look at the wondrous complexity and surprising rationality of the world. I think this is very apt, but you can decide.

Additionally, Robinson lightly touches upon the ethics of technologically enabled mind reading and mind control. I would personally love to read a future novel that digs deeper into this more pressing issue.

I hope this helps philosophically minded readers decide whether to buy this novel.