The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling by Ted Chiang
A book review.
Explores how advancing technology is replacing our natural memory, with digitalization taking over roles that were once managed by our human minds. While we rely so much on technology for semantic memory, which is the repository of knowledge, general facts, and information, the issue starts when we replace episodic memory, our ability to recall personal experiences that are tied to emotional and subjective aspects of our lives. Just imagine stripping away our emotional connection and personal significance to a life experience, reducing it to data points or factual evidence. Isn’t that tragic?
The story also demonstrates how language and writing shape human thought. Words are not just tools for communication but are key in structuring how we think and interpret the world. Before writing was invented, it’s fascinating to imagine how cultures and religions depended on oral communication to pass down history, knowledge, and values. However, as humans tend to adapt narratives to suit their audiences, orally transmitted information can be flexible and changing. It’s mentioned that anthropologists point out that oral cultures view history not as a fixed sequence of events like we know but as a dynamic and shared community identity.
The most important takeaway from this story is the need to reflect on our relationship with technology and consider the tradeoff between convenience and the beauty of human experience. It makes me think about how much we lose when we delegate so many cognitive and emotional tasks to machines. It’s totally human to not be perfect like a machine. After all, we are living, feeling, and thinking beings.