The story begins in 2082 when 65,000 alien probes simultaneously surround Earth, photograph it in a flash of fire, and then vanish. In response, humanity sends the starship Theseus to the edge of the solar system to find out who—or what—is watching.
Watts uses this philosophical thought experiment to suggest that something can process information and communicate perfectly without actually "understanding" what it’s doing. Blindsight by Peter Watts.epub
Peter Watts has made the book available for free under a Creative Commons license on his official site, though you can also find it at retailers like Barnes & Noble . The story begins in 2082 when 65,000 alien
A "Synthesist" who had half his brain removed to stop seizures, leaving him a highly analytical observer who lacks traditional empathy. Peter Watts has made the book available for
A biologist whose body is so heavily interfaced with the ship that he can "feel" the hull and "taste" radiation. Core Themes: Intelligence vs. Consciousness
To meet an alien intelligence, humanity sends a crew that is barely human themselves:
A linguist with four distinct personalities surgically partitioned into her brain to process complex alien languages.