Good Morning Friends !
Before we begin, I want to pause and remember the innocent life lost in the recent Pahalgam tragedy. It’s hard to make sense of such moments when beauty is overshadowed by brutality. My heart goes out to the family and everyone affected. Some stories stay with us, not because we knew the person, but because we feel the pain. Today, I write with a heavy heart, holding space for grief, and hoping for a world that chooses compassion over cruelty, science over dogma, and tolerance over fanaticism.
During past week three things inspired me:
Quote
"All fiction that does not violate the laws of physics is fact."
~ David Deutsch
Idea
A good science fiction is not just made-up stories. It’s a smart way to imagine the future while following the real rules of science. It helps us think about what could be possible, not just what we already know. When we read good science fiction, our minds learn to explore big ideas, solve problems, and imagine new ways of living. It also teaches us to stay creative and think clearly, even when the future feels uncertain or strange.
Instead of helping us escape reality, science fiction helps us get ready for it. It shows us that with the right knowledge, we can fix problems and build better things. This kind of thinking called "rational optimism" helps us believe that progress is possible.
But science fiction has its limits also. If the stories break the laws of physics or rely on magic-like ideas, they stop being useful for real thinking. They may be fun, but they don’t help us understand how the world truly works. So, the best science fiction is the kind that respects what science tells us is possible because only then can it guide us toward real progress and better future.
Book
I recently started reading science fiction after listening to Naval Ravikant’s podcast, where he spoke about how science fiction helped him understand big ideas. He mentioned the story “Understand” by Ted Chiang, so I picked up his book Stories of Your Life and Others. It’s a brilliant collection of eight stories that combine deep scientific and philosophical ideas with emotional storytelling. The most famous story in the book is “Story of Your Life,” which inspired the movie Arrival. It’s about a linguist who learns an alien language that changes how she experiences time. The story explores memory, free will, and the beauty and pain of knowing your future.
My favorite story in the book is “Understand” and “Division by Zero.” In “Understand,” a man named Leon receives a drug that heals his brain and makes him super-intelligent. As his mind evolves, he becomes disconnected from ordinary people and emotions. He sees others as simple patterns and struggles with empathy. When he meets another enhanced person, they face off in a battle of intelligence. The story explores what happens when someone becomes too smart for their own humanity. Ted Chiang shows that pure knowledge without emotion or ethics can be dangerous.
“Division by Zero” is quieter but just as powerful. A mathematician named Renee discovers that basic math may be flawed, and it shakes her entire belief system. For her, math was like a religion something perfect and certain. Her emotional breakdown is seen through the eyes of her husband, Carl, who wants to help but doesn’t truly understand her pain. The story is about how losing faith in something whether it’s a system or a person can break us.
Ted Chiang’s writing is simple, thoughtful, and full of meaning. Each story makes you stop and think. I hope you will like this book too.
Have an inspiring week ahead.
Best Wishes !