Book 130 - Machines like Me by Ian McEwan

Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 @ 19:00
, Geneva
link to join:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84629594402
Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding.
Machines Like Me occurs in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda’s assistance, he co-designs Adam’s personality. This near-perfect human is beautiful, strong and clever – a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will confront a profound moral dilemma.
Ian McEwan’s subversive and entertaining novel (2019) poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns of the power to invent things beyond our control.
Presenter: TBC
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:
1. Members introduction (10 minutes)
2. Brief introduction of next book (5 minutes)
3. Book presentation (20-30 minutes)
– A brief history of author’s life
– A short summary of the book
– Main ideas/themes
4. Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you all!
Upcoming events: https://genevainternationa93.wixsite.com/bookclub/post/future
Past events: https://genevainternationa93.wixsite.com/bookclub/post/_past
To join the glocals group: http://www.glocals.com/groups/geneva/geneva-book-club.htm
To join the Meetup group:
https://www.meetup.com/Geneva-International-Book-Club/
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84629594402
Britain has lost the Falklands war, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. In a world not quite like this one, two lovers will be tested beyond their understanding.
Machines Like Me occurs in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first batch of synthetic humans. With Miranda’s assistance, he co-designs Adam’s personality. This near-perfect human is beautiful, strong and clever – a love triangle soon forms. These three beings will confront a profound moral dilemma.
Ian McEwan’s subversive and entertaining novel (2019) poses fundamental questions: what makes us human? Our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns of the power to invent things beyond our control.
Presenter: TBC
Starting time: 19:15 sharp
Format:
1. Members introduction (10 minutes)
2. Brief introduction of next book (5 minutes)
3. Book presentation (20-30 minutes)
– A brief history of author’s life
– A short summary of the book
– Main ideas/themes
4. Group discussion (45-60 minutes), members' personal views on the book, opposing ideas, etc.
Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you all!
Upcoming events: https://genevainternationa93.wixsite.com/bookclub/post/future
Past events: https://genevainternationa93.wixsite.com/bookclub/post/_past
To join the glocals group: http://www.glocals.com/groups/geneva/geneva-book-club.htm
To join the Meetup group:
https://www.meetup.com/Geneva-International-Book-Club/
Talk
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