The Great Silence

by Ted Chiang, Karen Joy Fowler (Foreword)

"Ted Chiang’s very short story, 'The Great Silence' adds another set of questions to the Fermi Paradox speculations. Why, he asks, are we so interested in finding intelligence in the stars and so deaf to the many species who manifest it here on earth? And also: why have we demanded that, as proof of intelligence, non-human animals communicate to us in human language, and then dismissed those creatures that actually do so?" - Karen Joy Fowler

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, School, Read For School, Animals

12 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2015

About the author

Ted Chiang is an American science fiction writer. His Chinese name is Chiang Feng-nan. He graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near Seattle, Washington. He is a graduate of the noted Clarion Writers Workshop (1989) and has been an instructor for it (2012, 2016). Chiang is also a frequent non-fiction contributor to the New Yorker, where he writes on topics related to computing such as artificial intelligence.

Chiang has published 18 short stories, to date, and most of them have won prestigious speculative fiction awards - including multiple Nebula Awards, Locus Awards, Hugo Awards, and British Science Fiction Association Awards, among others. His short story "Story of Your Life" was the basis of the film Arrival (2016). He has never written a novel but is one of the most decorated science fiction writers currently working.

Chiang's first eight stories are collected in "Stories of Your Life, and Others" and the next nine, in "Exhalation: Stories".

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!

this explanation/intro will be posted before each day’s short story. scroll down to get to the story-review.

this is the FIFTH year of me doing a short story advent calendar as my december project. for those of you new to me or this endeavor, here’s the skinny: every day in december, i will be reading a short story that is 1) available free somewhere on internet, and 2) listed on goodreads as its own discrete entity. there will be links provided for those of you who like to read (or listen to) short stories for free, and also for those of you who have wildly overestimated how many books you can read in a year and are freaking out about not meeting your 2020 reading-challenge goals. i have been gathering links all year when tasty little tales have popped into my feed, but i will also accept additional suggestions, as long as they meet my aforementioned 1), 2) standards, because i have not compiled as many as usual this year.

IN ADDITION, this may be the last year i do this project since GR has already deleted the pages for several of the stories i've read in previous years without warning, leaving me with a bunch of missing reviews and broken links, which makes me feel shitty. because i don't have a lot of time to waste, i'm not going to bother writing much in the way of reviews for these, in case gr decides to scrap 'em again. 2020 has left me utterly wrung out and i apologize for what's left of me. i am doing my best.

DECEMBER 4: THE GREAT SILENCE - TED CHIANG

i am not a fan of birds. i have been perfectly clear about my antipathy towards birds for many years now. the internet version of this stance is probably a little bit exaggerated, inflated to its full curmudgeonly effect, while the real me in the real world avoids birds if she can, but still gets wicked sad when there're dead ones under the bridge or eggs smashed on the ground.

this review is coming to you from internet karen and internet karen says—i knew it! i knew birds were smarter than we give them credit for and they were playing dumb, plotting against us! and you may say, "but this story doesn't show them plotting! if anything, it shows them resigned to their fate, gracefully accepting their impending extinction with no malice towards the creatures responsible; i.e. us," and to that i will say "that's just what they want you to think!" who is this story written for, eh? humans! and how are humans responding to this story? they're going, 'awwwwwwww, poor birds birds! let's put some seed in the feeder so we feel better about ourselves,' like they're gonna save a species or something. from where i'm sitting, this story is the worst kind of passive aggressive nonsense; what you'd EXPECT from birds, those monsters. laying their guilt trip on you with their “You be good. I love you.” they don't love you. they just want your sandwich. they want you to let down your guard. birds aren't any less monstrous than humans. i have watched a gang of birds cooperate to murder one of their own. i have seen birds devour fried chicken without a scrap of shame. i have experienced birds pooping on me without even a half-assed apology.

and then there's whatever arcane ritual leads to birds circling a cat's corpse. if this is what they're getting up to, maybe we're safer with them extinct.



ANYWAY, the karen who feels bad when she sees dead birds liked this story, but don't tell anyone. especially not the birds.

read it for free here

DECEMBER 1: PG - COURTNEY SUMMERS
DECEMBER 2: THE JUMPING MONKEY HILL - CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
DECEMBER 3: ORIGIN STORY - T. KINGFISHER
DECEMBER 5: A CLEAN SWEEP WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS
DECEMBER 6: BORED WORLD - ANDY WEIR
DECEMBER 7: VAMPIRE - ROBERT COOVER
DECEMBER 8: A STATEMENT IN THE CASE - THEODORA GOSS
DECEMBER 9: STET - SARAH GAILEY
DECEMBER 10: MARGOT'S ROOM: EMILY CARROLL
DECEMBER 11: HORROR STORY - CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
DECEMBER 12: TERRAIN - GENEVIEVE VALENTINE
DECEMBER 13: IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN - ZEN CHO
DECEMBER 14: GHOUL - GEORGE SAUNDERS
DECEMBER 15: DURING THE DANCE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 16: CLEARING THE BONES - CELESTE NG
DECEMBER 17: THE WAITER'S WIFE - ZADIE SMITH
DECEMBER 18: DEMOLITION - FIONA MCFARLANE
DECEMBER 19: NO PERIOD - HARRY TURTLEDOVE
DECEMBER 20: DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE - GG
DECEMBER 21: RUB-A-DUB-DUB - TONY MILLIONAIRE
DECEMBER 22: HANSA AND GRETYL AND PIECE OF SHIT - REBECCA CURTIS
DECEMBER 23: BRIDESICLE - WILL MCINTOSH
DECEMBER 24: I, CTHULHU, OR, WHAT'S A TENTACLE-FACED THING LIKE ME DOING IN A SUNKEN CITY LIKE THIS (LATITUDE 47° 9' S, LONGITUDE 126° 43' W)? - NEIL GAIMAN
DECEMBER 25: CHRISTMAS TALE - MARK LAWRENCE
DECEMBER 26: THE MONSTERS OF HEAVEN - NATHAN BALLINGRUD
DECEMBER 27: TWO DREAMS ON TRAINS - ELIZABETH BEAR
DECEMBER 28: THE MARTIANS CLAIM CANADA - MARGARET ATWOOD
DECEMBER 29: UNDER THE WAVE - LAUREN GROFF
DECEMBER 30: MR. SALARY - SALLY ROONEY
DECEMBER 31: A/S/L - EMMA CLINE

come to my blog!

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's note informs us that Arecibo, Puerto Rico is home to both an observatory known for sending out messages searching for extraterrestrial intelligence (http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/pr...) and to a critically endangered species of parrot, known for its intelligence (http://www.fws.gov/southeast/pubs/fac...).

Through this story narrated by one of these parrots, Chiang points out the irony of looking out over the horizon for signs of life when we cannot even understand - or coexist with - the intelligent life that shares our own planet.

The ending will kick you right in the gut. (As Chiang loves to do. I mean, the guy is a literary kickboxer.)

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I know these are parrots, but when I see that cover I still think of a certain Alfred Hitchcock classic.

But these birds are not plotting against us, however much Karen makes you want to believe that. (She kinda hates them)

No, this is a rather sweet and sad story about the Fermi paradox (where is everybody?) and us perhaps missing the obvious. And also doing harm to our unbeknownst to us friends next door.

Because we are stupid and careless.

Read it for yourself here: http://supercommunity.e-flux.com/text...

3.5 stars. It is too hot today for a lot more of the "awwwwwwww".


Recommended by Nataliya

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Ted Chiang. It made me cry. What more can I say?

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broke my heart, literally.

[Abolfazl Nasri · Rating 5 out of 5]

سیزدهمین داستان از مجموعه داستان کوتاه بی‌کران:
این داستان کوتاه یکی از زیباترین و شاعرانه‌ترین نوشته‌های تد چیانگ است. در ظاهر درباره‌ی یک تلسکوپ رادیویی و جست‌وجوی انسان برای حیات فرازمینی است، اما در باطن به رابطه‌ی ما با گونه‌های زمینی، مخصوصاً طوطی‌ها، می‌پردازد. صدای روایت از زبان پرنده‌ای است که آرام و در عین حال دردناک، سرنوشت رو به نابودی نسل خود را بازگو می‌کند و آن را با «سکوت کیهانی» پیوند می‌زند.
قدرت داستان در همین هم‌نشینی است: آرسیبو به‌عنوان گوش و دهان بشر، پاسخی از اعماق فضا دریافت نمی‌کند، در حالی که هوشی در کنار ما فریاد می‌زند و کسی صدایش را نمی‌شنود. در نهایت، جمله‌ی آخر پرنده به شکلی هولناک و در عین حال تسلی‌بخش، مرز میان اسطوره، علم و عاطفه را محو می‌کند.
«سکوت بزرگ» نه فقط یک داستان علمی‌تخیلی، که یک سوگواره‌ی شاعرانه برای صداهای خاموش‌شده‌ی زمین است؛ اثری که انسان را وادار می‌کند به مسئولیت اخلاقی‌اش در برابر موجودات دیگر و حتی در برابر خود کیهان بیندیشد.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read here that Ted Chiang collaborated with artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla to create a story based on their video called “The Great Silence.”

I didn't find on the internet the video but I did find the story, which is more than heart-breaking. It's a cry out loud against the extinction of species. All facts in it are true, the only fiction part is the narrator, which is a parrot; afterall, it's the story of their species.

It approaches the same issue as Liu Cixin in The Three-Body Problem: why human beings are looking for intelligent life in space, when we have it right here:

The humans use Arecibo to look for extraterrestrial intelligence. Their desire to make a connection is so strong that they’ve created an ear capable of hearing across the universe.
But I and my fellow parrots are right here. Why aren’t they interested in listening to our voices?We’re a non-human species capable of communicating with them. Aren’t we exactly what humans are looking for?

The extinction of parrots, especially of African Grey ones is really a major problem. I read some time ago another story on the same subject: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? by Kathleen Ann Goonan. More and more authors are raising the alarm in hope they'll make a change.

Ted Chiang' story can be read here: http://supercommunity.e-flux.com/text...

And the story of Alex can be found at: http://alexfoundation.org/the-birds/a...
----
More details on African Grey parrots:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/20...

http://www.parrotsdailynews.com/afric...

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
You know that feeling when you feel or wonder something and then someone writes a story expressing the same thing? (And makes it seem like a self-evidently reasonable thing to feel/wonder about.) This was that story for me. Short and to the (poignant) point, and you can read it for free here. Thanks for the rec, Kir!

[Márcio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ted Chiang is an author who usually leaves me speechless, and in doing justice to the title of this short story, I was in great silence when I finished reading it. I had to process the whole of the story as I had to when I read his outstanding Stories of your life.

A kind of parrot who lives close to the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico reflects on the proximity of his species' extinction. This is the venue that the author uses to talk about Fermi Paradox, but also how we, humans, are leading the way to the extinction of a whole great bunch of species of animals and plants, not to mention our extinction.

Even though I adore astronomy/cosmology issues, it is of great importance that we question why we look so much to the stars in search of alien life, while we have such a huge variety of species on Earth that we are so deaf to and we decimate without a second thought.

By sticking to this that we call "reason", we have entitled ourselves as the ones to own everything under the Sun that we can grab our hands at; as the only ones that can express all of the the other species' willingness; as the ones who can decide, even among us, humans, who deserve to live and who deserve not. Let alone that proof of intelligence to humans in what concerns non-human animals is the ability to communicate to us in human language (the stupidest thing ever; we are not the center of the whole universe).

This may be the reason why I so much fear the moment humans start having colonies on Mars and other planetary bodies. It will be a reason to destroy these new habitats and to keep on destroying Earth.

Humans, in some ways, should be called monsters.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications)]

A very very very short Ted Chiang piece, which is not quite a short story. I think it was meant for an art installation related to the Arecibo observatory - about communication and non human intelligence, and the Fermi paradox. Factual, and moving. Impossible to rate honestly. I will put out one criticism, while all of it is moving and important and something I will keep in mind, the last line is a bit, uh, cheesy.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel that there is something important in reading this story the week Aricebo died. Global warming, collapsing infrastructure, no effort to help people who are being destroyed by what we should probably stop calling "natural" disasters, all signs of the decline of the American Empire.
Tomorrow I won't feel this bad, after a good night's sleep and some breakfast gingerbread. And that's why things got this way in the first place, maybe, the ability of humans to just stop thinking about things that make us sad.
Or maybe that's just me.

Thanks again, karen.

Available free online

[Jerry Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parrots, Arecibo observatory, Fermi Paradox, reverberating Om, vocal learning all in a highly thought provoking sweet short story.

My message to Ted Chiang is this,
You stay good. I love you.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice, really short story about parrots and their language, and their philosophizing about humans and how inter-species communication is not working well. Bittersweet.

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short story but beautifully written. A cry against how we are destroying non-human lives. In this story, a parrot speaks movingly of the cost of humans destroying the rest of the world. I especially found the description of the sound "om" and its resonance in the universe lovely and haunting. Although it only takes minutes to read, the feelings it evokes are far more lasting.

Available on line for free.

[Roslyn]

Extremely short, and not really a story as such. A comment, in the form of an idea? a parable? a short piece of writing, about humankind's (possible) failure to see what's right in front of us.

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title relates to The Fermi Paradox: if the universe is so vast and so old, we are surely not the only intelligent life, so why can’t we find it?

Perhaps the problem is that we wouldn’t recognise it if we saw it? Shades of the dolphins in Douglas Adams’ So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.

“‘Aspiration’ means both hope and the act of breathing… I speak, therefore I am.”
The opposite of the title of the story collection. Neat.

This story was originally the text for a video installation, and was also published in Chiang’s collection, Exhalation. See HERE for my reviews of the other stories.

[Shrav · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When Arecibo is not listening to anything else, it hears the voice of creation."

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking!

[Cephalopodophil. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short, yet heartbreaking story of a parrot who speaks for its endangered species, "The Great Silence" shows us how ignorant we are of our companion species, who are becoming extinct in vast numbers every day.

[Faiza Sattar · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★☆ (4/5)

Their desire to make a connection is so strong that they’ve created an ear capable of hearing across the universe.

A quick and interesting read, Ted Chiang’s “The Great Silence” is narrated by a Puerto Rican parrot whose entire kind is on the brink of extinction. He addresses humans and their curiosity in regards to search for extraterrestrial beings in the vast expanse of our universe. There is great irony in humanity’s quest for intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos whilst we willingly ignore intelligent beings on planet Earth.

The universe ought to be a cacophony of voices, but instead it’s disconcertingly quiet.

Fermi Paradox states that an intelligent specie would prefer silence and staying remote rather than aim for contact with a more advanced specie. The fear of possible destruction by a more dominant specie has resulted in the Great Silence. This is observable through Arecibo, a large radio telescope located in Puerto Rico (which is also home to the critically endangered species of parrots). The telescope functions as ears and mouth for Earth in the cosmos, attentive to any sounds emitted by intelligent life anywhere in the universe.

Humans have lived alongside parrots for thousands of years, and only recently have they considered the possibility that we might be intelligent.

Our parrot is most humbling in his narration. He acknowledges that human neglect has been the defining factor in pushing his specie towards extinction yet does not place any direct blame on mankind. Instead he simply states his concerns, commending humanity on their achievements and inquisitive nature. He draws similarities between his kind and Man – both are vocal learners and through language can give distinct form to their thoughts.

Soon this rainforest may be as silent as the rest of the universe.

The story is a damning but somber indictment on humanity’s future. Mankind may as well be heading for the same fate that we have knowingly condemned other species to, species with which we share this planet. In search for something larger than ourselves, we have conveniently forgotten the modest existence of beauty around us – terrains and animal and plant life thereby endangering everything that has ever occurred. Mercenary agendas have made us forgetful of our duties towards Nature.

The story functions as a reminder of our foremost responsibilities towards preserving life of all manners on Earth and later turn our ears towards the extraterrestrial. The Great Silence first manifested itself in mankind’s relationship with nature and has now been festering amongst men too. There is a dire lack of communication between humans. Widespread prevalence of technological advancements have made us immune to values of kindness, empathy and tolerance. We too are heading towards self-inflicted moral and ethical extinction.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, profound, and bittersweet story which ponders the Fermi Paradox through scientific facts: Alex was a real grey parrot and the subject of a thirty-year-long experiment, by the end of which he showed signs of an intelligence level similar to that of a five year old child, and Puerto Rico's Arecibo is home to both his endangered species and an observatory from which a message meant to communicate with potential extraterrestrial life was transmitted into the universe in the 70's.

This story is told by one of these endangered parrots, and it points out the irony of looking up into the stars for signs of intelligent life when we can't even understand or coexist with the intelligent life that shares our planet. A gentle nudge to cherish what's closer to home before it's too late, and an ending that made me shed a tear or two.

"According to Hindu mythology, the universe was created with a sound: “Om.” It’s a syllable that contains within it everything that ever was and everything that will be.
When the Arecibo telescope is pointed at the space between stars, it hears a faint hum.
Astronomers call that the “cosmic microwave background.” It’s the residual radiation of the Big Bang, the explosion that created the universe fourteen billion years ago.
But you can also think of it as a barely audible reverberation of that original “Om.” That syllable was so resonant that the night sky will keep vibrating for as long as the universe exists.
When Arecibo is not listening to anything else, it hears the voice of creation."

—————

This story is also published in Ted Chiang's collection Exhalation: Stories. You can read my full review here.

[Klowey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Puerto Rican parrot shares what is left of its habitat with the massive Arecibo Telescope, juxtaposing human's search for extraterrestrial communication with his question, We've been here all along, why aren't you interested in listening to our voices?

This is very short story, 3 or 4 pages. I've loved Ted Chiang's stories. And I have parrots and am involved with parrot rescue. I care deeply about what is happening to their wild habitat and also about sharing my home with them. So I am unabashedly biased when I say that this short piece greatly touched me. If you have a heart, you may want to grab a box of tissues first.

Available for free:
https://electricliterature.com/the-gr...
and
https://nautil.us/the-great-silence-8...

A wonderful analysis is here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicat...

[LiN · Rating 5 out of 5]

เสียงจาก Puerto Rican นกแก้วที่กำลังจะสูญพันธ์ถึงมนุษย์ที่พยายามควานหาชีวิตทรงภูมินอกโลก แต่กลับไม่ใส่ใจสายพันธุ์ฉลาดๆ ที่อยู่มาด้วยกันอย่างพวกสัตว์ต่างๆ เลย เห็นด้วยที่ว่าหลายสปีชีส์สูญพันธุ์ไม่ใช่เพราะเราอยากทำลาย แต่เราใส่ใจพวกมันไม่มากพอต่างหาก

ย้อนกลับมาให้คิดถึงการสื่อสารหรือสนใจสิ่งห่างไกลตัว โซเชียลที่ฉาบฉวย แทนที่จะปฏิสัมพันธ์กับคนที่อยู่ด้วย เราไม่ได้อยากให้คสพ.แตกหัก เราแค่ไม่สนใจ จึงไม่เข้าใจความรู้สึกของคนที่อยู่ข้างๆ และไม่รับรู้ถึงความฉลาดของนกหรือสปีชีส์อื่นๆ

- ถ้าเอเลี่ยนมีจริง ภาษาของพวกมันสำหรับพวกเราก็คงไม่ต่างจากภาษาสัตว์หรอก
- บริบทที่ไม่มีโซเชียลมีเดียในเรื่องนี้คงเปรียบเทียบไม่ได้ แต่ใจความน่ะได้อยู่

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Stars
This was a great short story to read. I would read this book again for sure. I would recommend this short story to anyone.

[zaynah ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When Arecibo is not listening to anything else, it hears the voice of creation.”

How does Ted Chiang make you feel so much with such short stories?

[Katrina McCollough · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super sad short story in the perspective of an endangered parrot. Imagine the stories the corals would tell.

[Owlseyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

While mankind tries, at any cost, to contact other civilizations/non-human intelligences, whatever,...preferably a two-ways communication, the parrots have sent a simple, vocal message to mankind: love.

Time to respond.

You can read it here (parrots tongue is so simple):
https://electricliterature.com/the-gr...

[Mahriban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I'm, reading "The Great Silence" on Sunday evening and crying. Just 14 pages, but deeply moving.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Some humans theorize that intelligent species go extinct before they can expand into outer space. If they‘re correct, then the hush of the night sky is the silence of a graveyard“.

„My species probably won‘t be here for much longer; it‘s likely that we‘ll die before our time and join the Great Silence“.