The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
Dec. 26th, 2024 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_oonmoonHow many times am I going to claim that a book will be my last book for this year?
This isn't a thick book but I thought I wouldn't have much time to read for the rest of the week. However, I found myself completely glued into this book and it was hard for me to put down. I didn't even feel like playing video games because I just wanted to read. I think that should be enough recommendation.
What really drew me to it is the premise. It's about George Orr, a man whose dreams can alter reality. This makes him fear his dreams and so he resorts to abusing medication so he can keep himself from dreaming. When the authorities find out, he got assigned to a therapist, Dr. Haber, who quickly finds out that George can indeed create a new reality based on his dreams. Dr. Haber takes it upon himself to fix whatever he finds wrong in the world by making suggestions about George's dreams through hypnosis. One day he might suggest that George dream of a world without overpopulation, or a dream where there is no war on Earth. While these all seem good in theory, there is a monkey's paw quality to George's dreams. He often takes Dr. Haber's suggestions literally, such as creating a reality where there is no war on Earth because the war is taking place outside of Earth. As is common with dreams, George's dreams can be irrational. It's a power that cannot be harnessed to do what Dr. Haber envisions because George's dreams are out of his control and may even be heavily subject to his unconscious mind.
Dr. Haber insists that a power like George's must be utilized for good; he must strive to use it to solve the glaring problems that their world has. George insists that it is not ethical to play God, to decide between themselves what is good or not for the entire population. The novel concerns itself with action vs inaction, going with the flow or resisting the circumstances handed to you. Dr. Haber's methods are clearly presented as unethical in the novel. Dr. Haber supports eugenics because it supposedly ultimately leads to the greater good for humanity. He doesn't seem to find a problem with George's dream removing half of the world's population. However, I also find it hard to jump into George's idea that one must simply accept things as they are, that things will right themselves eventually.
I am sure there is some merit in acceptance but it is not the ethical approach I like to subscribe to. George doesn't go so far as to say that one must do nothing. He does say that it is too much for one man to go through alone. I think the novel, rather than presenting a solution, is a good thought experiment. it has a good mix of philosophy and science fiction.
So far, Le Guin has yet to disappoint me.
This isn't a thick book but I thought I wouldn't have much time to read for the rest of the week. However, I found myself completely glued into this book and it was hard for me to put down. I didn't even feel like playing video games because I just wanted to read. I think that should be enough recommendation.
What really drew me to it is the premise. It's about George Orr, a man whose dreams can alter reality. This makes him fear his dreams and so he resorts to abusing medication so he can keep himself from dreaming. When the authorities find out, he got assigned to a therapist, Dr. Haber, who quickly finds out that George can indeed create a new reality based on his dreams. Dr. Haber takes it upon himself to fix whatever he finds wrong in the world by making suggestions about George's dreams through hypnosis. One day he might suggest that George dream of a world without overpopulation, or a dream where there is no war on Earth. While these all seem good in theory, there is a monkey's paw quality to George's dreams. He often takes Dr. Haber's suggestions literally, such as creating a reality where there is no war on Earth because the war is taking place outside of Earth. As is common with dreams, George's dreams can be irrational. It's a power that cannot be harnessed to do what Dr. Haber envisions because George's dreams are out of his control and may even be heavily subject to his unconscious mind.
Dr. Haber insists that a power like George's must be utilized for good; he must strive to use it to solve the glaring problems that their world has. George insists that it is not ethical to play God, to decide between themselves what is good or not for the entire population. The novel concerns itself with action vs inaction, going with the flow or resisting the circumstances handed to you. Dr. Haber's methods are clearly presented as unethical in the novel. Dr. Haber supports eugenics because it supposedly ultimately leads to the greater good for humanity. He doesn't seem to find a problem with George's dream removing half of the world's population. However, I also find it hard to jump into George's idea that one must simply accept things as they are, that things will right themselves eventually.
I am sure there is some merit in acceptance but it is not the ethical approach I like to subscribe to. George doesn't go so far as to say that one must do nothing. He does say that it is too much for one man to go through alone. I think the novel, rather than presenting a solution, is a good thought experiment. it has a good mix of philosophy and science fiction.
So far, Le Guin has yet to disappoint me.