Online Class Notes (Nick)

Describe how the “Dark Forest Theory” shapes the universe in Liu Cixin’s books. Why does it seem like a reasonable theory? How does it affect the way that people act in his universe? On Earth, we use large radio telescopes to send messages out into space, which is the opposite of what Liu’s theory says we should do. Are we stupid for doing this?

Vocabulary

Dragon Boat Festival – 端午

Savory – things that are salty, oily, fatty; meat, soy sauce
e.g. In the south of China, people like to eat savory zongzi.

Wonder – to imagine, to think about what could be possible in the future
e.g. I wonder if I will be able to work as a professor someday.
Wander – to walk around without a real destination, with no goal in mind
e.g. This area is really beautiful. I think that I will go wander around for a while and see what I can find.

Mosquito – a small flying insect that drinks your blood; something small that bothers you but doesn’t really cause any serious problems 蚊子

Alpha Centauri – the star closest to our Sun 半人马座阿尔法

Trilogy – a group of three books that all tell the same story, one long story
e.g. Liu Cixin’s famous trilogy is called “The Three Body Problem.”

Attractive – this usually means that something is pleasant to look at, or that makes you want to do something
e.g. That woman is very attractive.
e.g. This business proposal is very attractive for our company at this time.
Intriguing – something that really makes you think, that gives you new ideas and makes you want to ask questions
e.g. “The Three Body Problem” is a really intriguing work, which had me thinking for days.

Creative / Imaginative – (the adjectives for “create” and “imagine”) something that has lots of new, interesting ideas

Unique – something that is totally different from anything else
e.g. I have never read anything else like the “Three Body Problem.” It is totally unique.

Premise – the basic idea of something
e.g The basic premise of “The Three Body Problem” is the “Dark Forest Theory.”

Know – to be familiar with
Notice – when something all of a sudden gets your attention
e.g. The animals in the Dark Forest don’t want to be noticed in case another animal might want to kill them.

Worst-Case Scenario – the worst possible situation that could happen
e.g. The worst-case scenario that is at the heart of the “Dark Forest Theory” is that another civilization could be more advanced and try to destroy your civilization.

Hostile – something that is very aggressive and wants to harm you
e.g. When the bear realized that the human had gotten close to her baby, she became immediately hostile.

Grammar

No time to explore = I don’t have any time to explore

The nearest star of the Sun – from

English is totally different with English – from / to

They hide so they are not known by other animals – noticed / discovered