The Philosophy of Black Wolf
WARNING. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
There's a lot of philosophy contained within the pages of Black Wolf. The major reason for that is due to the fact that the technology of virtual worlds would have a significant sociological and philosophical impact on human society were they to be introduced on a massive scale. We've already seen the changes that social media has introduced, and I believe a virtual world would have similar impact. Because of this, I felt that I couldn't ignore it.
At the same time, I try not be preachy about any line of thought. My stance on including philosophy in a book is this: I write about concepts, and let the readers form their own opinions about them. One of the ideas I learned while studying for my history degree in college was the idea of perception and memory. While history is ostensibly fact based, it is also extremely subjective. One a single event can have drastically different meanings depending on who's viewpoint is being examined. In the same way, philosophical discussions can have wildly varying interpretations, and I feel it would be a disservice to the reader to simply push one point of view.
There are two core philosophical ideas contained within Black Wolf. The first is the idea of living in a virtual world, and whether experiences and relationships in the virtual world have as much meaning as those in the real world. It's a topic that has become extremely relevant in recent years due to the rise of video games and social media. Many people spend a significant amount of time in a virtual world, whether that time is spent in an MMO, on Facebook or in a chat room (remember when those were relevant?). The idea is discussed several times by the characters, and with good reason: they're spending a majority of their time in the game world, and one school of thought would lead us to believe that they're letting the world pass them by. Of course, it could also be pointed out that, strictly speaking, virtual worlds aren't a new thing. Every time we watch television or see a movie we step into a constructed world. Even reading a book could be considered stepping into a virtual world, because we distance ourselves from the real world and travel to a constructed one.
The second idea is the concept of a virtual world as a means for a utopia. This theme is much less pronounced, but it's important nonetheless. On the surface, the idea of using a virtual world to create a utopia is an intriguing idea. It would allow people to live their lives free from care and stress, and the boundaries within a virtual existence are endless. On the other hand, there's a significant argument against it as well: does life have any meaning if one does not have to strive to overcome anything? And then there was the question that I ended up asking: are we shackled by pain and suffering, or is it the fear of them that binds us?
One of the most interesting aspects that developed as I wrote Black Wolf was how it compared to other adventure works. The fear of death is always present, even though the characters usually learn to overcome it. But in Black Wolf, where death is merely a slap on the wrist, the outlook of the characters changes dramatically. By the end of the book they end up reveling in the danger they face, because the chains of death are completely broken. Now, to be sure, fear is still present in the game. The characters still fear dying, in the same way that I fear watching my army of plastic men being gunned down by horrible dice rolls. But the effective immortality they possess frees them. Interestingly enough, that aspect was also liberating for me as a writer; I could kill a character any time I wanted, which I exploited to its full effect. The protagonist bites it no less than three times over the course of the story.
I feel that science fiction always needs to have an underlying theme, even if it's a simple one. That belief manifested itself as I wrote Black Wolf, and I hope that it give readers a little something to ponder.
There's a lot of philosophy contained within the pages of Black Wolf. The major reason for that is due to the fact that the technology of virtual worlds would have a significant sociological and philosophical impact on human society were they to be introduced on a massive scale. We've already seen the changes that social media has introduced, and I believe a virtual world would have similar impact. Because of this, I felt that I couldn't ignore it.
At the same time, I try not be preachy about any line of thought. My stance on including philosophy in a book is this: I write about concepts, and let the readers form their own opinions about them. One of the ideas I learned while studying for my history degree in college was the idea of perception and memory. While history is ostensibly fact based, it is also extremely subjective. One a single event can have drastically different meanings depending on who's viewpoint is being examined. In the same way, philosophical discussions can have wildly varying interpretations, and I feel it would be a disservice to the reader to simply push one point of view.
There are two core philosophical ideas contained within Black Wolf. The first is the idea of living in a virtual world, and whether experiences and relationships in the virtual world have as much meaning as those in the real world. It's a topic that has become extremely relevant in recent years due to the rise of video games and social media. Many people spend a significant amount of time in a virtual world, whether that time is spent in an MMO, on Facebook or in a chat room (remember when those were relevant?). The idea is discussed several times by the characters, and with good reason: they're spending a majority of their time in the game world, and one school of thought would lead us to believe that they're letting the world pass them by. Of course, it could also be pointed out that, strictly speaking, virtual worlds aren't a new thing. Every time we watch television or see a movie we step into a constructed world. Even reading a book could be considered stepping into a virtual world, because we distance ourselves from the real world and travel to a constructed one.
The second idea is the concept of a virtual world as a means for a utopia. This theme is much less pronounced, but it's important nonetheless. On the surface, the idea of using a virtual world to create a utopia is an intriguing idea. It would allow people to live their lives free from care and stress, and the boundaries within a virtual existence are endless. On the other hand, there's a significant argument against it as well: does life have any meaning if one does not have to strive to overcome anything? And then there was the question that I ended up asking: are we shackled by pain and suffering, or is it the fear of them that binds us?
One of the most interesting aspects that developed as I wrote Black Wolf was how it compared to other adventure works. The fear of death is always present, even though the characters usually learn to overcome it. But in Black Wolf, where death is merely a slap on the wrist, the outlook of the characters changes dramatically. By the end of the book they end up reveling in the danger they face, because the chains of death are completely broken. Now, to be sure, fear is still present in the game. The characters still fear dying, in the same way that I fear watching my army of plastic men being gunned down by horrible dice rolls. But the effective immortality they possess frees them. Interestingly enough, that aspect was also liberating for me as a writer; I could kill a character any time I wanted, which I exploited to its full effect. The protagonist bites it no less than three times over the course of the story.
I feel that science fiction always needs to have an underlying theme, even if it's a simple one. That belief manifested itself as I wrote Black Wolf, and I hope that it give readers a little something to ponder.
No comments have been added yet.
