What: This is a satirical science fiction book from 1936. (Link.)
Why: I think the book is excellent, is surprisingly on point for existential risk & non-human welfare (and the backwards way that this is approached), and more. I wrote a review of it on the Forum a while back.[1] Quoting myself: “Don’t read this book to efficiently learn what you need to know about non-human sentience or x-risk. But if you’re searching for different ways of thinking about those phenomena (and of making them real to yourself), I think this could be a great experience.”
The War with the Newts by Karel Čapek
What: This is a satirical science fiction book from 1936. (Link.)
Why: I think the book is excellent, is surprisingly on point for existential risk & non-human welfare (and the backwards way that this is approached), and more. I wrote a review of it on the Forum a while back.[1] Quoting myself: “Don’t read this book to efficiently learn what you need to know about non-human sentience or x-risk. But if you’re searching for different ways of thinking about those phenomena (and of making them real to yourself), I think this could be a great experience.”
(The fact that I love this book is basically a meme in some social circles.)