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Quote by Vernor Vinge

“Once upon a time I was such a good liar; I could talk the fish right into my mouths.”

Quote by Vernor Vinge

Book:A Fire Upon The Deep

Work

A Fire Upon The Deep

In this science fiction epic, the narrative unfolds across multiple levels of reality, from the primitive to the technologically advanced, as humanity grapples with the complexities of interstellar colonization and encounters with extraterrestrial life. more

Author

Vernor Vinge is an American computer scientist known for his contributions to both science fiction literature and computer science. His works often explore the impact of technological advancements on human society, with his most famous novel being 'Rainbow's End'. more

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“Sometimes terror and pain are not the best levers; deception, when it works, is the most elegant and the least expensive manipulation of all.”

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Book:A Fire Upon The Deep

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“Little fish risking everything for a piece of godhood...and not knowing heaven from hell, even when they find it.”

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“We’re long on high principles and short on simple human understanding.”

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“All evil and good is petty before Nature. Personally, we take comfort from this, that there is a universe to admire that cannot be twisted to villainy or good, but which simply is.”

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Book:Zones of Thought: A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky

Source: Zones of Thought: A Fire Upon the Deep, A Deepness in the Sky

“The illusion of self-awareness. Happy automatons, running on trivial programs. I'll bet you never guess. From the inside, how can you?”

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“Note that I am not proposing that AI research be ignored or less funded.”

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“We will soon create intelligences greater than our own ... When this happens, human history will have reached a kind of singularity, an intellectual transition as impenetrable as the knotted space-time at the center of a black hole, and the world will pass far beyond our understanding.”

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“Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended.”

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“Here I had tried a straightforward extrapolation of technology, and found myself precipitated over an abyss. It's a problem we face every time we consider the creation of intelligences greater than our own. When this happens, human history will have reached a kind of singularity - a place where extrapolation breaks down and new models must be applied - and the world will pass beyond our understanding.”

Source: The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge