Suixuan

标签：The Three-Body Problem

Gathering All the Books in the World—Can the Library of Alexandria of the AI Era Endure?

AI & Scholarship2026.04.23
Gathering All the Books in the World—Can the Library of Alexandria of the AI Era Endure?
This article was published in China Science Daily (2026-04-23, p. 3, General), with the title changed to AI Can Now Read “All the Books in the World”; Do Humans Still Need to Read Books?. It was edited down and divided into sections at publication; the original draft is posted here: Around 295 BCE, Ptolemy I commissioned the Greek scholar Demetrius to build a magnificent library and Mouseion (an academic institution) in the city of Alexandria. Demetrius proposed the grand vision of “collecting all the books in the world,” and it received the continuing support of the Ptolemaic royal house. The first three Ptolemies carried the project forward one after another,…
scholarship commentary internet knowledge
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2026年4月23日
The “Nonsense” that Scientifically Combats Scientific Nonsense — Preface to Recommending Exposing Data Nonsense

History of Science & Scholarship2022.04.07
The “Nonsense” that Scientifically Combats Scientific Nonsense — Preface to Recommending Exposing Data Nonsense
In the past I always wrote book reviews for newspapers; this time, for the first time, I was invited to write a recommendation foreword, which can be found in CITIC Publishing Group’s newly released Debunking Data Bullshit. Since it’s a recommendation and a bit of promotion, I suppose it can also be reposted here. One thing needs to be explained: when I received the advance copy, the tentative Chinese title was The Signal and the Noise of Science; by the time it was officially published, it had been changed to the current Debunking Data Bullshit. So when I wrote the recommendation, I started from the translated title, and the part…
book reading science philosophy of science book review
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2022年4月7日
The Dark Forest and the Law of Evolution, Thought and Expression — Some Complaints about The Three-Body Problem

History of Science & Scholarship2014.01.30
The Dark Forest and the Law of Evolution, Thought and Expression — Some Complaints about The Three-Body Problem
《The Three-Body Problem》is indeed a pretty good science-fiction novel: the conception is very ingenious, and it also contains many elements that invite deep reflection. But given Teacher Jiang Xiaoyuan’s excessive elevation of it, I actually found myself becoming rather resistant. As an ordinary fantasy novel, whether it is Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics or Liu Cixin’s cosmic sociology, these are all clever designs; but if one wants to elevate them to the level of genuine social science or philosophy and discuss their profound significance, that is going too far. I had already made sarcastic remarks about cosmic sociology back then. Of course, at that time I had not yet read…
book reading book review civilization evolution
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2014年1月30日
On Communicating with Extraterrestrial Civilizations—A Snarky Commentary on Jiang Xiaoyuan’s Report

Culture & Public Commentary2011.12.04
On Communicating with Extraterrestrial Civilizations—A Snarky Commentary on Jiang Xiaoyuan’s Report
Forum on the History of Science, Technology, and Philosophy, Lecture 82: Jiang Xiaoyuan: Should We Talk to Strangers? — A Debate in the History of Science about the Search for Extraterrestrial Civilization This afternoon I went to listen to the Keke Forum. Quite a few people showed up this time; even the classroom was full. It seems that everyone still has high expectations for Teacher Jiang’s talk. Before this talk, when Teacher Wu mentioned it to us, he said that this time he especially wanted Teacher Jiang to say something “substantive.” In the past, whenever Teacher Jiang had been invited to speak, it was all rather “media-like,” or to put…
culture value human nature modernity
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2011年12月4日
On the New Three Kingdoms and Artworks in the Age of Mass Media

Culture & Public Commentary2010.05.23
On the New Three Kingdoms and Artworks in the Age of Mass Media
I only glanced at a few episodes of the New Three Kingdoms television drama, and I haven’t read many related reviews either. At present I also do not want to offer any comment on the drama itself; works of that sort are not worth criticizing. I am merely using New Three Kingdoms to recall certain general phenomena of audiovisual works in this era. When watching New Three Kingdoms, and when in earlier years watching various remade historical costume dramas, I often could not help thinking: why can’t you just make it properly? Why must the screenwriters insist on adding so many melodramatic, soap-opera-style gimmicks? Why can’t they show more respect…
culture commentary art the masses
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2010年5月23日
The Road of the Azure Sky

Life & Notes2010.05.20
The Road of the Azure Sky
After being busy for a stretch, one should, as usual, allow oneself a little indulgence. Before I begin my book-scanning plan, let me first finish scanning a whole manga series…… Stirred by the new Three Kingdoms TV drama, I remembered this masterpiece, hailed as the best Three Kingdoms manga. Back when I watched the animated version—the first season was roughly equivalent to a third or a quarter of the manga—I already had a sense of being dazzled. In the first few episodes I still couldn’t quite make out what was special about it, and thought it was just another little-Japanese gag on the Three Kingdoms, until I saw the appearances…
everyday life China tradition anime
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2010年5月20日
How Do I Read?

History of Science & Scholarship2009.01.21
How Do I Read?
About reading and writing, I said earlier that these two activities alternate in a cycle and become my mode of thinking: thought begins in reading and comes to a pause in writing. But that is too general a way of putting it, so the essay “The writer, one who pours forth” described my style of writing, and the more recent “How I choke out a paper” added a discussion of the specific mode of writing called paper-writing. Now, if I add a note on my method of reading, the picture is even more complete. Still the old saying: my style is not worth boasting about, much less imitating. In particular,…
philosophy culture scholarship writing
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2009年1月21日
The Best Formation…

Life & Notes2005.07.31
The Best Formation…
The triangular thunder formation really is the best~~ March 8, 2005
everyday life The Three-Body Problem
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2005年7月31日