Liu, Cixin
Citation (APA): Liu, C. (2014). The Three-Body Problem (The Three-Body Problem Series Book 1) [Kindle Android version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Highlight (yellow) - 2. Silent Spring > Page 27
If this was so, then how many other acts of humankind that had seemed normal or even righteous were, in reality, evil? As she continued to mull over these thoughts, a deduction made her shudder: Is it possible that the relationship between humanity and evil is similar to the relationship between the ocean and an iceberg floating on its surface? Both the ocean and the iceberg are made of the same material. That the iceberg seems separate is only because it is in a different form. In reality, it is but a part of the vast ocean.… It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race. This thought determined the entire direction of Ye’s life.
Note - 2. Silent Spring > Page 28
This passage refers to Silent Spring a book presenting pesticides as evil
Highlight (yellow) - 4. The Frontiers of Science > Page 61
“I have no direct connection with the Frontiers of Science, but it is famous in academia. Its core goal is a response to the following: Since the second half of the twentieth century, physics has gradually lost the concision and simplicity of its classical theories. Modern theoretical models have become more and more complex, vague, and uncertain. Experimental verification has become more difficult as well. This is a sign that the forefront of physics research seems to be hitting a wall. “Members of the Frontiers of Science want to attempt a new way of thinking. To put it simply, they want to use the methods of science to discover the limits of science, to try to find out if there is a limit to how deeply and precisely science can know nature— a boundary beyond which science cannot go. The development of modern physics seems to suggest that such a line has been touched.”
Highlight (yellow) - 7. Three Body: King Wen of Zhou and the Long Night > Page 100
King Wen turned out to be right. The yearned- for Stable Era soon began. Sunrise and sunset began to follow a pattern. A day- night cycle began to stabilize around eighteen hours. The orderly alternation of day and night made the weather warm and mild. “How long does a Stable Era last?” Wang asked. “As short as a day or as long as a century. No one can predict how long one will last.” King Wen sat on the sandglass, lifting his head to gaze at the noonday sun. “According to historical records, the Western Zhou Dynasty experienced a Stable Era lasting two centuries. How lucky to be born during such a time!” “Then how long does a Chaotic Era last?” “I already told you. Other than Stable Eras, all other times belong to Chaotic Eras. Each of them takes up the time not occupied by the other.” “So, this is a world in which there are no patterns?” “Yes. Civilization can only develop in the mild climate of Stable Eras. Most of the time, humankind must collectively dehydrate and be stored. When a long Stable Era arrives, they collectively revive through rehydration. Then they proceed to build and produce.”
Bookmark - 8. Ye Wenjie > Page 111
Highlight (pink) - 8. Ye Wenjie > Page 112
He remembered taking a class in information theory as a third- year student in college. The professor had put up two pictures: One was the famous Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival, full of fine, rich details; the other was a photograph of the sky on a sunny day, the deep blue expanse broken only by a wisp of cloud that one couldn’t even be sure was there. The professor asked the class which picture contained more information. The answer was that the photograph’s information content— its entropy— exceeded the painting’s by one or two orders of magnitude. Three Body was the same. Its enormous information content was hidden deep. Wang could feel it, but he could not articulate it. He suddenly understood that the makers of Three Body took the exact opposite of the approach taken by designers of other games. Normally, game designers tried to display as much information as possible to increase the sense of realism. But Three Body’s designers worked to compress the information content to disguise a more complex reality, just like that seemingly empty photograph of the sky.
Highlight (yellow) - 8. Ye Wenjie > Page 116
failed. Her world was too simple, and all she had were ethereal theories. When they collapsed, she had nothing to lean on to keep on living.”
Highlight (yellow) - 8. Ye Wenjie > Page 116