Blindsight is a unique kind of first-contact novel. Its focus is not on humanity’s first meeting with an alien civilization, but rather that this civilization is highly intelligent, yet lacks consciousness.
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What if intelligence can thrive without consciousness?
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What if there is nothing special about self-awareness?
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What if it is just evolutionary dead weight, bound to disappear soon?
The idea rests on machine metaphors for life and mind, which strike this columnist as profoundly mistaken.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight
Blindsight Sci-fi Short Film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM
If you don’t need a physical copy, the novel is free on the author’s web site: https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm
IMHO it’s a pretty good novel, might have been a classic with a bit more editing.
I’ve read the sequel, Echopraxia, which does focus on first contact, and liked it quite a bit. I’m not sure I buy it, per se, but the Chinese Room/machine allegory seems reasonable enough. I suspect this author might be more open to the ideas expressed in that one.
