145. (May 2025) The Terminal Experiment, by Robert J. Sawyer — The Tabletop Roleplayers' Book Club

The Terminal Experiment Q7: Scanned Minds

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:21:02 +0000

The use of Peter's scanned mind to create AI seems to me to different from generative AI in one specific sense: It creates an AI copy of a living human being, which allows for a direct comparison of how the two minds would evolve and react to external events given a common starting point. In other words, such an AI could be compared to a very similar human mind. What are the implications of this?

The Terminal Experiment Q8: AI and Immortality vs Obsolescence

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:21:49 +0000

One thought that occurred to me after my reading of this novel is that AI minds are potentially immortal. That is, as long as they receive power and have a network in which to live, they can exist forever. As humans, I doubt we'd ever really understand how knowledge of one's immortality would affect a mind.

And although an AI mind might potentially be immortal, it would not be immune to obsolescence. What happens when StarkGPT v2.5 meets StarkGPT v9.5? Would AI minds fear obsolescence as we fear death? Will there be competition among AI minds, or cooperation? Could they cannibalize and consume one another?

Throwing this out for discussion!

The Terminal Experiment Q2: Setting

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:17:34 +0000

Toronto is the setting, and Sawyer lives in the area so he knows it well. Did you find this well-drawn? Did it give you any sense of place, or did it just seem like a generic city? Did if feel like a North American city, or a European city?

The Terminal Experiment Q4: Larger Questions

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:18:57 +0000

This novel covers a lot of ground, including evidence for a human soul, which in turn implies the existence of God or at lead a greater, unseen power. It discusses abortion, and organ donation, things which now seem fairly resolved perhaps to us, but weren't at the time. And then there's the powers and dangers of the net, and the transfer of human minds to the net via scans to generate a sort of AI.

Would you guess Sawyer was a religious man? If yes, which faith, do you think?

The Terminal Experiment Q5: Three-Pete

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:19:31 +0000

In the case of this novel, there are three variants of the simulated mind– a 'bodiless' mind, an 'immortal' mind, and a 'normal mind'. Did you guess which was the murderer? Why was it that one?

The Terminal Experiment Q6: The Net News Digest

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:20:20 +0000

In between chapters, the Net News Digest gave glimpses of how the wider world was responding to the events that took place in the book. Did you find this useful and effective as a technique, or distracting?

The Terminal Experiment Q9: Hobson's Choice?

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:23:25 +0000

The book's working title was Hobson's Choice, named after the main character, but also an historic term for when someone is given the appearance of having a choice, when in fact, you have only one option, and that option is not ideal. What are the Hobson's Choices in the book?

Is The Terminal Experiment the better title?

The Terminal Experiment Q1: General Impressions

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:16:39 +0000

What did you think of the book? It's a technological thriller, and it certainly explores the implications of certain techs, and the implications of invented hypothetical discoveries. But it's also got a suspense element. Did this work for you?

The Terminal Experiment Q10: Gamability

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:24:07 +0000

What's gamable about all of this?

The Terminal Experiment Q3: Tech Extrapolation

Apocryphal — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:18:13 +0000

There's a lot of future tech in the book, some of which now feels rather science-fictional because things didn't happen the way he speculated, but some of it feels rather de rigeur now, because it did more or less happen that way. The book was written in 1995, around the time, maybe just before, the World Wide Web emerged, and certainly prior to smart phones. Did anything especially strike you as especially prescient? What about notable misses?

Cover blurb for The Terminal Experiment

RichardAbbott — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:11:59 +0000

A biomedical engineer discovers proof for the existence of the human soul

• Winner of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Nebula Award for Best Novel of the Year!

• Finalist for the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award for Best Novel of the Year!

• Winner of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s Aurora Award for Best Novel of the Year!

IT STARTED AS AN EXPERIMENT IN LIFE AFTER DEATH.

IT ENDED IN DEATH.

Dr. Peter Hobson has created a monster. Three of them, in fact.

In order to test his theories of immortality and life after death, he has created three electronic simulations of his own personality.

The first Hobson has all memory of physical existence edited out. It will simulate life after death.

The second Hobson is without knowledge of aging or death. It will simulate immortality.

The third Hobson is unmodified. A control.

But now all three of them have escaped from Hobson’s computer into the worldwide electronic matrix.

And one of them is a killer ...

“A very intriguing philosophical journey; a taut, believable exciting mystery story.” —The Edmonton Journal

“Spellbinding — a thriller that at its heart questions the very meanings of what it means to be human. It is action-packed and yet contemplative, full of richly drawn and intriguing characters and combines science fiction with murder mystery for an assuredly entertaining experience.” —Fictional Fix

“A terrific mix of science, technological derring-do, and murder. A great story; a crackerjack novel.” —The Globe and Mail

About Robert J. Sawyer

RichardAbbott — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:13:06 +0000

Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has also won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award, and the Hal Clement Memorial Award; the top SF awards in China, Japan, France, and Spain; and a record-setting sixteen Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”).

Rob’s novel FlashForward was the basis for the ABC TV series of the same name, and he was a scriptwriter for that program. He also scripted the two-part finale for the popular web series Star Trek Continues.

He is a Member of the Order of Canada, the highest honor bestowed by the Canadian government, as well as the Order of Ontario, the highest honor given by his home province; he was also one of the initial inductees into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Rob lives just outside Toronto.His website and blog are at sfwriter.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Patreon he’s RobertJSawyer.