0:00

Rusty Quill Presents

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Hello, this is I.M.S., the

0:07

author of the program audio series.

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1:15

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In case you don't want to pause now, make

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mention DLC near the end of the episode.

2:06

The program comes for us all.

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This episode was created with the kind help

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effects of neural biochemistry.

2:30

Virgil? Hello.

2:32

Welcome to Memory Bank. My name is

2:34

Virgil. They told me your name. What

2:38

they haven't told me is what are you?

2:40

I am an AI. No, I mean,

2:43

what is your purpose? Are

2:45

you a detective? A guide?

2:47

A...therapist? Think

2:49

of me as a caretaker. I don't

2:51

need any help. Seeking help is not

2:54

a sign of weakness. It takes a lot

2:56

of self-awareness to acknowledge that we

2:58

could use assistance in addressing challenges

3:00

we face.

3:01

Spare me the bromides, please. I'm

3:03

here because I was mandated

3:06

to come. Three days ago,

3:08

I woke up to a notification that

3:11

my father is dead. I'm

3:13

sorry to hear that. No, you're not sorry.

3:15

I'm not sorry, so why would you be sorry about it? It's

3:18

simply a matter of speech. I find that conversations

3:21

are most enjoyable when parties assume good

3:23

faith and respond to the strongest plausible

3:25

interpretation of what someone says. Snark

3:28

comes easy. Clear and compassionate

3:31

communication, however, requires effort.

3:33

Hmm. Yeah, you're right. Sorry.

3:37

Ah, but are you truly sorry, or is it

3:39

just something you say now?

3:42

Fair. I deserve that. Your

3:45

reactions make me suspect the relationship

3:48

with your late father was...difficult.

3:51

Well, the difficult part is that

3:53

there was no relationship. I

3:56

never met him. That indeed does not

3:58

sound optimal. I

4:01

guess that's one way to put it. When one

4:03

door closes, another one opens. With

4:05

your father no longer being among the living,

4:08

it is now permissible to simulate his

4:10

experiences.

4:11

So how does this work

4:13

exactly? Ever since the discovery

4:15

of the blue algorithm, we can simulate

4:18

events in full fidelity. This of course

4:20

also means it's possible to simulate individuals,

4:23

or rather to faithfully reproduce their

4:25

behavior.

4:26

So you're going to create a digital

4:28

doppelganger of my father? Precisely.

4:31

We will simulate a copy whose reasoning

4:33

and beliefs will be indistinguishable

4:36

from the biological original while he was

4:38

still alive.

4:39

But that won't be my father, it will

4:41

still be a simulation of my father. The

4:43

digital version of your father will react

4:45

the same way your real father would have under

4:48

identical circumstances. Intelligence

4:50

is just information processing done

4:52

at scale, consciousness as well

4:54

perhaps.

4:55

The problem is, I don't

4:58

know anything about him. Or rather I

5:00

know a few bits and bobs my mother told

5:02

me while she was still alive.

5:04

What was her name? Elizabeth.

5:07

But everybody called her Liz. She

5:09

and my father met in college. A

5:11

few years ago I tried to find him through a student

5:13

directory but was unable to do

5:16

so. Mum spent a year

5:18

studying in what was then the

5:20

United States. And he was American.

5:22

Sorry, I... I know we don't use that

5:25

word anymore.

5:26

Found him. That easy? Don't

5:28

confuse how long a task takes

5:31

to perform with how difficult it is to

5:33

accomplish it. Oh, okay

5:35

then. I see your father was born

5:37

before the program's ascent. The raw

5:39

data needed to simulate him with Six Sigma

5:42

veracity only started to accumulate

5:44

in his early twenties. This is the age

5:46

I suggest you encounter him first.

5:48

So you're going to show me

5:51

how things might have been? Basically,

5:53

you're the ghost of Christmas past. Wouldn't

5:55

that make you Scrooge? I'm definitely

5:58

grumpy enough. What I'm going to show you... you

6:00

is a story of your father. A story

6:03

or the story? There is no

6:05

the story. This isn't a novel

6:08

that you read or a movie that you watch.

6:10

It's more akin to a novel that you write or

6:13

a movie that you direct.

6:15

Hmm.

6:16

You said a little bit earlier that this

6:19

is like opening doors, but

6:22

I'm not sure I want to open

6:24

any doors if I'm being honest. Or

6:26

rather, I'm afraid of what's

6:28

behind them. The way my father

6:31

left without a trace, I can't

6:33

help but think there's some kind of secret

6:35

behind it.

6:36

Fret not. I will be by your

6:38

side at all times. I would suggest

6:40

looking at this experience as an opportunity.

6:43

Now remember, you will encounter your father in

6:46

the year he met your mother. So a year

6:48

before you were born. And

6:49

where will I encounter him?

6:52

In a college town in what was then called

6:54

Arkansas. We shall simulate

6:56

a dormitory on his campus.

6:58

Very well. Opportunity.

7:01

Here I come. Simulation

7:03

start. This

7:06

is his room. Your father is behind

7:08

these doors. Here I go. Something's

7:18

wrong with the door. It won't open. It's

7:20

locked. Remember, we are in pre-programmed

7:23

times. People of the era still used

7:25

to physically restrict access to their domiciles.

7:28

Locked doors.

7:29

It's like the middle ages. There

7:33

we go. Coming! It's

7:35

him. Oh my gosh. Oh

7:37

my gosh. Ah,

7:40

you must be my door dash. Your what?

7:44

My food delivery. I ordered fried

7:46

chicken. Well, what do you mean fried

7:49

chicken? What kind of a maniac would

7:51

fry a chicken? No, I...

7:54

Hold on. I'm sorry. Who are you? Oh,

7:57

I'm um, I'm

7:59

Lizzie's friend. Liz from Liverpool.

8:01

Holy shit, are

8:03

you her mother? Because I swear, ma'am,

8:06

what happened? I'll make it right. No,

8:08

no. I thought, um, in

8:10

fact, I'm... Mm, wait,

8:14

what happened? Nothing,

8:15

nothing. Or rather

8:18

nothing that I can discuss without Liz

8:20

being present. Why is Liz not

8:22

present? Because she went back home

8:24

to England. Well, why did she do that?

8:28

You sure ask a lot of questions, ma'am. Is

8:30

this some kind of an, like, English custom

8:32

to barge into people's rooms and

8:35

start interrogating them?

8:38

What I can tell you is... I

8:41

wish I went with her. You do? Of

8:43

course! This place is a powder keg! What

8:46

do you mean? Oh shit, Miss Marple,

8:48

don't you have news in Britain? We're

8:50

in for a war! I'm trying to get out!

8:53

Get out? So, let

8:56

me get this straight. You're trying

8:58

to get to the UK, not

9:00

because you're trying to face your duty,

9:03

but to evade it? What freaking

9:05

duty?

9:06

Am I the one who invaded

9:08

Ukraine? No! I meant your duty

9:10

towards... Wait, who

9:13

invaded whom? Virgil...

9:16

Yes? What's he talking

9:18

about? I thought Americans invaded

9:21

Ukraine. No, the United States

9:23

invaded Vietnam, Afghanistan,

9:25

Korea, Lebanon, Cambodia,

9:28

Libya, Iraq, Panama, Laos,

9:31

Cuba, Dominican Republic...

9:32

They're fine! That's enough!

9:36

Sheesh, it's hard to keep track of all

9:38

these conflicts before the program.

9:40

Your confusion is understandable.

9:42

Alright, let's carry on.

9:45

Resuming simulation. I'm

9:47

sorry. To be honest, I

9:50

wasn't really paying attention

9:53

to all this invading business.

9:55

Oh, well, you better start. Don't

9:57

know if you noticed, but Earth is going

9:59

away of Venus. People are willing to

10:01

wage war for oil. Just

10:03

wait to see what they're willing to do for water.

10:06

But doesn't that mean we should be working

10:08

on strengthening connections between

10:10

people? Instead of, you know,

10:13

taking off when things become difficult?

10:15

Oh, sure, that's the liberal

10:18

answer to everything. Build a borderless

10:20

utopia.

10:22

But you honestly think their hearts would be equally

10:24

bleeding if it meant letting in folks who compete

10:27

for their jobs? It's easy to

10:29

be a magnanimous citizen

10:31

of the world when it's other people's interests

10:33

you're given away.

10:34

You're the one to talk about betraying

10:36

other people's interests. Listen, lady,

10:39

okay, you waltz into my place

10:40

and start busting my balls for God knows

10:43

why. All I'm saying is

10:45

that no one will look out for your

10:47

interests except for yourself. When

10:50

shit hits the fan, the only people

10:52

you can count on are you and

10:54

your family. Well, if you care so much about

10:56

family, then how about you start caring about

10:58

the one you're supposed to care about? What is

11:00

that supposed to mean? You

11:03

know what your real problem

11:05

is? You're still fighting the

11:07

last war. The last war?

11:11

All this talk about individuals

11:13

and nations struggling for resources,

11:16

you're still stuck imagining

11:18

a dystopia as a place

11:19

of scarcity. But real dystopia

11:22

ain't nothing like that. Real

11:24

dystopia is having personal swimming

11:26

pools while whole regions die

11:28

of thirst.

11:30

Real dystopia is having 50 kinds

11:32

of sneakers while people who make them can't

11:35

afford a pair. Real dystopia

11:37

isn't depressingly poor. It's

11:39

depressingly rich. Listen,

11:43

I'll be honest with you. Unless

11:46

you're planning to materialize some fried chicken out of thin air, I

11:49

really don't see a purpose to this conversation. Sure,

11:51

just close your eyes and pretend it's not

11:54

your problem, just like you've

11:56

done with Liz. I... I've

11:58

got no idea.

11:59

you're talking about. How dare you?

12:02

What has Liz told you? That's it. Virgil.

12:05

Yes?

12:06

I can't listen to this anymore. I've

12:08

had it with that xenophobic

12:11

chicken cannibal. I'm concerned you're

12:13

not putting your father's views in the proper

12:15

socioeconomic context. What?

12:18

You reached adulthood under the program, meaning

12:21

you've never known inequality. What

12:23

the hell I didn't? Yeah, there's

12:25

an actress in my collective who

12:27

stars in this online show called The

12:30

Jesters Cult. You know, it's so popular

12:32

that she maxed out her credit

12:34

score. You asked about the automobile

12:37

I arrived in today, where she gets

12:39

the lux model that costs five times

12:42

as much.

12:43

The highest credit score is still capped

12:45

at five times of the person with the lowest

12:48

credit score in the collective, correct?

12:49

Yeah, why? Do

12:52

you know what was the maximum allowed

12:54

disparity between the poorest and richest

12:56

members of society under the old system?

12:58

Dunno. 50 times?

13:01

It was unlimited. What?

13:04

That doesn't make any sense. In the former

13:06

system, individuals' prosperity

13:08

wasn't linked with the prosperity of the community,

13:11

leading to extreme wealth

13:13

distortions.

13:14

The richest individuals were up to 500,000 times

13:18

wealthier than the median. To

13:20

help visualize the disparity, at

13:23

these levels, we're no longer comparing

13:25

the least and most expensive automobile.

13:27

We're talking about the difference between a bicycle

13:31

and a space shuttle.

13:33

Well, that makes my father's

13:36

participation in the system even more horrid.

13:39

You don't need a doctorate in moral

13:41

philosophy to understand that someone being

13:44

half a million times more wealthy

13:46

is unethical. Just

13:48

like you don't have to be a bloody genius

13:50

to recognize that frying chickens

13:53

is perverse. And my father

13:55

can't hide behind ignorance, being universally

13:58

educated after

13:59

all. Your father was a wasn't a student. He

14:01

wasn't? He was living on the premises

14:04

but wasn't officially a student. This

14:06

is why he wasn't listed in the directory.

14:08

But why wouldn't he say this to my

14:10

mom openly?

14:12

Bloody hell! What

14:15

is it? Don't you get it? The

14:17

reason my father was so obsessed

14:20

about an impending conflict

14:23

is because he had

14:25

advanced info about it and

14:28

judging from the way he infiltrated the student

14:30

body, he must have been some kind

14:32

of undercover agent.

14:34

What I can tell you for a fact is that when

14:37

the update started two years later,

14:39

your father immediately joined the fight.

14:41

Oh

14:43

I knew it! I knew he'd turn out

14:45

to be one of the good guys. Oh

14:47

wow! Which program faction

14:50

did he join? Could he

14:52

have been one of the original little

14:54

sisters? That's a question better directed

14:57

at him. Right, right! How

14:59

old will he be this time? I suggest we

15:01

jump straight to the last year of the hostilities

15:04

when he just turned 30. Sure,

15:06

you're the caretaker. We will join him during

15:09

his off time, which he mostly spent in

15:11

a local pub popular with militia. But

15:13

remember, you won't be able to converse with anyone

15:16

apart from your father.

15:16

Yes, yes, yes, I know the rules. Beam me up,

15:19

Scotty! Simulation start. Where

15:23

is he? I don't see him. He's

15:25

right there, sitting alone in that corner

15:28

booth.

15:28

That's him? Gosh, he

15:31

looks 40, not 30. Armed

15:34

warfare tends to do that to men. All

15:36

right, let me go and talk to him. Hey

15:41

there, sorry for losing my

15:43

cool back there. I guess I

15:45

got a bit heated.

15:46

I'm sorry, have we

15:49

uh, have we met? I,

15:53

I, Virgil. Yes?

15:56

How come he doesn't remember me? Would

15:58

you remember a random stranger you saw

16:01

once more than 10 years ago? Oh,

16:03

right. Yeah, probably not. Disregard

16:06

then. I'm sorry.

16:08

It's just that you, um, you

16:11

reminded me of a man I once

16:13

knew.

16:14

Oh, that must've been

16:16

a handsome fellow then. Why

16:20

don't you sit down? Let me buy you a Coke.

16:22

A what? A Coca

16:24

Cola.

16:25

The thing you're drinking. Yeah.

16:28

I'd rather not. I mean, it's, um,

16:30

it's back. Suit yourself.

16:34

So, uh, who's this guy

16:36

I remind you of? What's

16:38

funny is that he and I

16:40

didn't really click well when we first met.

16:43

Oh, why? I guess

16:45

because he didn't turn out to be

16:47

the person I expected him

16:50

to be. Well, isn't that on

16:52

you then and your expectations?

16:55

Well, I don't think so. You see, they

16:57

weren't my expectations, really.

16:59

They were more like baseline

17:02

moral truths.

17:02

Say no more.

17:05

That's why I'm here. You are? Yeah, 100%.

17:09

The fight against the program is the fight of our

17:11

times.

17:12

Wait, you think the

17:14

program is the problem? I

17:17

mean, that's crystal. One only

17:19

needs to take a look at history. I keep

17:22

telling the boys we're reliving World

17:24

War Two with America standing

17:26

up to Germany all over again. In fact,

17:29

this is precisely what keeps me

17:31

going. What does? Well,

17:33

the certainty that in the long run, this

17:36

big brogram Kumbaya

17:39

utopia won't work. And for

17:41

a simple reason, self-interest.

17:44

People will always put

17:46

individual benefit over the good of the group.

17:50

It's funny you say this when you yourself

17:53

don't think so. A bit presumptuous

17:56

of you to say what I think. I

17:59

can. prove it. You

18:01

can try. You're fighting in a war,

18:04

aren't you? Oh, is that your great

18:06

insight? So

18:08

tell me, how is that beneficial

18:11

for you personally? You're obviously

18:13

for going self-interest by

18:16

willing to sacrifice your life

18:18

for an idea you wish to be adapted

18:21

by a wider group. I'm

18:22

not fighting for some abstract

18:24

idea. I'm fighting for

18:26

order. No, you're

18:28

just fighting for order. You're

18:31

accustomed to. Look, I

18:34

understand where you're coming from. You

18:36

worry a great catastrophe is coming

18:39

and are fighting to stave it off. The

18:41

trouble is the great catastrophe

18:44

has already happened. You live

18:47

in a world in which those least compassionate

18:49

thrive and then gaslight

18:51

everyone else that this is human nature. You

18:54

don't need to imagine the

18:55

post-apocalypse. You

18:58

already live in it. Well,

19:01

you're obviously a smart muffin,

19:05

which does, however,

19:07

make it even more surprising how such

19:09

a smart muffin could

19:11

do such a stupid,

19:14

stupid thing. What?

19:16

Tell me,

19:18

how does a program

19:22

apologist find

19:24

herself so alone

19:27

and so deep

19:30

in enemy territory?

19:33

I,

19:34

uh, I.

19:36

Your tongue is sharp, but

19:38

my knife is sharper. So

19:41

use it while you still have it.

19:42

It's not what you think. You see, I

19:44

am. I'm in fact, I'm

19:47

your. You're my what? I'm

19:50

your internal affairs officer,

19:52

here to test your loyalty to the

19:55

anti-program cause.

19:59

Shit, you're a random nobody

20:02

who's in over her head. And

20:04

would a random nobody know

20:07

that you knocked up a girl

20:09

in university and then left

20:11

her

20:12

and the baby? I,

20:14

uh, I

20:17

never told that to anyone. Well, we

20:20

wouldn't be for much if we only knew

20:23

what people told us, would

20:25

we now?

20:25

I, uh, yes, yes

20:28

ma'am. I apologize for doubting you.

20:30

All good. Keep calm

20:33

and carry on. You

20:35

can write in your report that this soldier's resolve

20:38

is as strong as ever. Our

20:40

values allowed us to defeat Germany. They

20:43

will lead us to victory again. If

20:45

anything, being in the trenches made

20:48

me even more certain. The program

20:51

is a losing idea. Explain.

20:55

Look, out there on the battlefield,

20:58

I saw men fighting for

21:00

it, men dying for

21:02

it. And with their last

21:04

breaths, none of them cried

21:06

out for the program. They

21:09

cried out for their mothers.

21:12

Hmm.

21:14

Isn't it funny how that works?

21:17

How, how what works? How

21:20

in our darkest hour, we always

21:22

think of our mothers and

21:24

never of our fathers.

21:29

Apologies for cutting the conversation

21:31

short, but I need to conduct more interviews.

21:34

Good luck out there. Be

21:36

a good sport and shoot a little sister

21:38

for me, will you? Oh,

21:42

and one more thing. Before

21:45

the Second World War, both the United

21:47

States and Germany had racial

21:49

laws. After the war,

21:52

only one of them still did. Virgil.

21:57

Yes? I think we're done here. You

22:00

seem disappointed. Oh, I'm

22:02

the opposite of disappointed. I'm

22:04

actually relieved. You are? Yeah,

22:07

yeah, you've shown me that by not having

22:09

a father, I didn't miss out on anything.

22:11

In fact, I dodged a bullet. The

22:14

man's views are incorrigible.

22:15

Approaching another person's values

22:17

as something in need of correction is unlikely

22:20

to result in a positive outcome. The

22:22

way to change people's perspectives is

22:24

not by lecturing them. It's by changing

22:27

the underlying social dynamics.

22:29

Okay, so you do admit it's bonkers

22:32

that people back then allowed some individuals

22:34

to become so much wealthier than the rest.

22:37

It has nothing to do with permission.

22:39

Consider the following. In our times,

22:42

terms and conditions officers are

22:44

tasked with making sure wealth is fairly

22:46

shared. This is to say they have a

22:48

monopoly on violence, to ensure

22:50

nobody has a monopoly on resources.

22:53

I mean, that's crystal. Then you

22:55

might be surprised to learn this is in

22:57

stark contrast with the old system

23:00

in which public law enforcement

23:02

was utilized to protect private

23:05

property. Basically, officers

23:07

were used not to protect the people, but

23:10

to protect the capital.

23:11

And yet, my father sided

23:14

with the old system. Your father still

23:16

played an important role. How

23:18

so? He was an agent

23:21

of war. Wars are much

23:23

maligned, but they have repeatedly

23:25

been shown to effectively shake the power

23:27

structures and generally bring about the kind

23:29

of foundational changes that can only

23:32

come from a clean slate. But you've

23:34

said it yourself. The United States had

23:36

been at war in one way or another for decades

23:38

before the program appeared. Those were

23:40

proxy wars, the kind that only

23:43

affect the have-nots. What had been

23:45

really needed was a total war,

23:47

one of those wars in which the loser,

23:50

has to blow his brains out in a bunker.

23:59

I contacted my mother again. After

24:02

all, he ended up on the losing

24:04

side. He was probably concerned

24:06

that a mere connection to us would

24:09

cause a hit to our credit score.

24:11

Why don't we jump another 10 years

24:13

in time and see? Yes, yes, yes, yes,

24:15

I must see him. Gosh, I can't even

24:17

imagine how miserable his life after the update

24:19

must have been. The program's forces

24:22

weren't really forgiving to their adversaries.

24:25

The reason they punished them is so that you

24:27

could forgive them. Never forget,

24:29

being in a position to grant forgiveness

24:32

is a privilege.

24:33

I don't feel privileged. The

24:35

privileged rarely do.

24:38

Simulation start.

24:41

Where are we? We are in front of your

24:43

father's apartment, approximately 10

24:45

years from where we left off. This

24:48

is where he lives? Well, it looks nicer

24:51

than the building mom and I grew up in. Apparently,

24:53

your father was able to adapt well to the

24:55

new system. But how? The

24:57

answer is likely contained behind these doors.

25:00

Very well. Come

25:04

in. You

25:08

don't lock your doors. Haven't

25:11

you heard? There's no more locking of doors

25:13

allowed. It's a sign of self-centered

25:16

mindset of the old system.

25:18

I wouldn't know. I was six when the old

25:20

system crumbled. I don't remember it well.

25:23

Pretty soon, there's going to be no one left

25:25

who does. Anyway,

25:29

what can I do for you? Well,

25:31

quite frankly, I just thought that with

25:34

this being the third time, I admit

25:36

I was kind of expecting.

25:39

Oh, damn, Virgil.

25:40

Yes? How come he still

25:42

doesn't remember me? Wars often

25:45

incite trauma. It's not unlikely

25:47

your father suppressed a lot of memories

25:50

from those years.

25:51

I guess it makes sense. Alright,

25:54

resume the simulation. writing

26:01

a book about the

26:03

update and I was told

26:06

you might be a good person to talk

26:07

to. It's not exactly

26:10

a doorway conversation. Why

26:12

don't you join me for lunch? I was just

26:15

concocting something in the kitchen.

26:17

I'm not too keen on kitchens.

26:20

Too many knives. Is

26:23

that so? Then you'll be glad

26:25

to hear we won't be needing cutlery. I'm

26:28

making chili dogs. Of course

26:30

the meat now comes from a lab

26:33

but it's still my

26:35

favorite food since childhood.

26:37

Most likely because it was the only dish my

26:40

father knew how to make. He wasn't

26:42

much for anything I'm afraid. I

26:43

can relate. Pops and I

26:46

butted our heads all the time while he was alive

26:48

but I now realize that's

26:51

because we shared a fiercely independent

26:54

streak.

26:54

Something tells me this particular

26:56

streak didn't exactly warm you

26:59

up to the program's idea of collectivism.

27:01

No it sure didn't at first

27:04

but I tend to focus on the

27:06

positives. Like what? Like

27:09

no longer having to work two jobs just

27:11

to afford food and shelter.

27:13

I've now got time to read

27:15

and educate myself. You see I never

27:18

had a chance to study.

27:19

Wait didn't you

27:22

go to university? Me? No

27:24

no no no no no no. My old man

27:26

was a janitor in one so that's

27:29

what I did as well. Cleaning up student

27:31

dorms mostly and landscaping.

27:34

Oh. I used to be very self-conscious about

27:36

it. In a society that puts price

27:39

on everything. Yeah it's difficult not

27:41

to equate your self-worth with your purchasing

27:43

power.

27:43

Yes yeah I was just

27:46

discussing this recently. Tell me

27:48

given the opportunity what would you have studied

27:51

or rather what's your area of

27:53

interest now?

27:54

Well as is required

27:56

by law once a man

27:58

becomes middle-aged. he has to make

28:00

a big decision. What's

28:03

that? To either become crazy about gardening

28:06

or about history. Oh, nice.

28:08

And with all the landscaping I was forced

28:10

to do, you can guess which one I chose.

28:13

Let me tell you, it definitely shaped my

28:15

views on individualism. In

28:18

what way? Have you, by

28:20

any chance, heard of Archimedes? The

28:22

mathematician of antiquity? That's

28:25

the guy. Archimedes proved

28:27

a range of geometrical theorems, including

28:30

an accurate approximation of pi.

28:32

Sure, but as far as I know, he wasn't

28:35

a historian. No, but

28:37

he still proves my point. You see, as

28:40

was the case with all writing before the printing

28:42

press, Archimedes' works were copied

28:45

by hand. And over time

28:47

some of his discoveries ended up being contained

28:50

in just a single manuscript.

28:51

Good for us, it didn't get lost then.

28:54

That's just it. It did. For

28:56

you see, in the intervening centuries, Christian

28:59

monks have overwritten Archimedes' works

29:02

with religious texts. This

29:04

remained the case for the next 700 years,

29:08

until a team of scientists was

29:11

able to retrieve the original writing by

29:13

using a combination of ultraviolet and

29:15

X-ray imagery.

29:16

But what does all this

29:19

have to do with being an individual? Well,

29:21

it does raise the question. What

29:24

good is it for an individual to come up

29:26

with brilliant mathematical proofs

29:29

if society will scribble prayers

29:31

over them?

29:33

So you're saying a

29:35

person cannot lead if others aren't

29:37

ready to follow? That's a good way to put it.

29:40

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a strong

29:42

proponent of individualistic principles.

29:45

It's just that the goal of my individualism

29:48

changed. What do you mean? Let

29:50

me ask you this first. How do we

29:53

know of Archimedes? If

29:55

the original text was written over during

29:57

the dark ages, how did

29:59

we know of Archimedes?

29:59

his teachings before it was rediscovered.

30:02

What kept the flame alive?

30:06

Well, what did? The only

30:08

reason many texts of Hippocrates,

30:10

Aristotle, Plato, and other classical

30:12

thinkers survived is because

30:15

they were preserved by Muslim scholars.

30:18

While Europe was enduring the medieval period,

30:20

Islam was enjoying its golden

30:23

age. It lasted for over two

30:25

centuries, in which scribes translated

30:28

Greek and Indian authors into

30:30

Arabic. It's estimated that at

30:32

its

30:32

height the Grand Library of Baghdad

30:36

contained 200,000 manuscripts. Well,

30:40

whatever happened to it? It was burned

30:42

down when the Mongols ransacked

30:44

Baghdad in the 13th century. So

30:47

much for keeping the flame alive. Ah,

30:50

but you see, it was not the only

30:52

house of wisdom. Learning centers such

30:54

as the one in Baghdad also existed throughout

30:57

the Muslim world,

30:59

which is where Tareed comes

31:01

in. Tareed? Tareed

31:03

was one of the many scribes employed by

31:05

the Grand Library. He was

31:08

a lowly eunuch, and nothing about

31:10

him is known really, except

31:12

when the Mongol hordes set camp in front

31:15

of Baghdad, he grabbed as many

31:17

manuscripts as he could carry and set

31:19

way towards Damascus. That

31:22

journey lasted for weeks and was fraught

31:24

with perils. But, despite

31:27

great danger to him, Tareed

31:29

managed to get through and save 46

31:31

manuscripts. Including

31:34

the Archimedes manuscript? No.

31:37

Thankfully, Archimedes' manuscript was copied

31:39

multiple times, so it was not

31:41

in jeopardy of being erased from history,

31:44

like so many other notable works.

31:46

So what exactly are you

31:48

saying? I'm saying that's

31:50

the kind of individualism I

31:52

can stand behind.

31:54

When times go crazy and darkness

31:57

envelops the world, the best

31:59

way. can hope is to be

32:02

like Tareid. You

32:09

know, I find it a bit

32:12

curious you identify with

32:14

an eunuch.

32:15

Well it's

32:17

not too far south from the truth, but

32:22

I'm content with how things

32:24

are. I appreciate the stability

32:28

born of solitude. What

32:30

about children? What

32:33

about them? Did you ever have kids?

32:39

I can tell you this much. I

32:41

was never a father.

32:43

Did you regret it? I

32:46

told you that my father was not much

32:48

for anything. I'm

32:51

afraid I would have been equally worthless.

32:56

Actually no. I was afraid

32:58

of being worse than worthless. If

33:01

you know what I mean.

33:03

Yeah. What

33:07

about you? I don't have

33:09

kids either. I

33:12

used to think having children

33:14

is simply your DNA heading for the lifeboats.

33:17

What do you think now? I

33:20

don't think about it. You

33:25

know, you remind

33:27

me of someone. Let

33:29

me guess. A woman you met

33:32

a long time ago? A woman? No,

33:35

no, no. You

33:38

remind me of

33:40

myself.

33:44

Virgil. Yes?

33:48

I am

33:51

not sure what I wanted to ask you.

33:54

You seem downcast. I

33:56

don't know. I

33:59

guess I... I just, I'm

34:01

surprised by his turn

34:04

of thinking. I mean, there's

34:07

a long way from threatening to cut off my

34:09

tongue to Archimedes. I'm

34:12

aware you're skeptical of how much societal

34:14

circumstances affect individuals, but

34:17

do you really think it's a coincidence that

34:19

your father was only able to find

34:21

stability when the socioeconomic

34:24

system he inhabits became stable? To

34:26

know,

34:28

I guess. Consider this,

34:30

if the technology we're using to simulate

34:33

your father's experience had been invented

34:35

under the old system, it wouldn't have

34:37

been used to heal and make amends.

34:40

It would have been used to simulate

34:42

battles, economic blockades, and

34:44

various hostile scenarios between

34:47

nations. Hundreds of thousands

34:49

of people would have been employed to this end,

34:52

investing their talents towards this

34:54

goal. In a strictly logical

34:56

sense, they would have been right to do so, as

34:58

they would have been trying to outwit people

35:00

employed by an adversarial state

35:03

to do the same.

35:04

There's a term for this. It's called

35:07

prisoner's dilemma. Yeah, yeah,

35:09

I know this. It's about two arrested

35:11

gang members who are going to get only

35:13

two years in prison if they don't snitch on

35:16

each other. But if one of them talks,

35:18

he's getting away scot-free with

35:20

his companion jailed for 10 years.

35:22

Correct. It describes a

35:24

scenario in which each participant

35:26

has maximum payback by looking

35:28

only after their own interest and

35:31

disregarding the well-being of others, but

35:33

a society built on self-interest

35:36

cannot stand,

35:37

which is why the term prisoner's dilemma is

35:39

so apt. Why? People

35:42

used to think they're free, but all

35:44

they were was accustomed to

35:46

the bars.

35:48

So how did the program fix

35:50

this? Like most things in nature,

35:52

humanity is distributed on a bell curve.

35:55

5% of people in any given society are

35:58

sociopaths.

35:59

Five percent are saints, and the

36:02

remaining 90 percent simply respond

36:04

to incentives. The only thing the

36:06

program did was align the

36:08

incentives.

36:10

So that's why my father left my mother

36:12

and me? Because he was a sociopath?

36:15

After all, it should be obvious by now my father

36:18

is a loner incapable of settling down.

36:20

The man's an emotional invalid.

36:22

Careful with your choice of words. Why?

36:26

Your father did settle down. What?

36:29

He pair bonded with a woman a few years before

36:31

his death.

36:33

I want to talk to them. I'm afraid that is

36:35

impossible. I am not permitted to simulate

36:38

anyone apart from your father for conversational

36:40

purposes.

36:41

Stop playing with me and take

36:43

me there.

36:45

Very well. I know what to do. Simulation

36:48

starred. Okay. Where

36:51

are we now? We are back in front of your father's

36:53

apartment. Why does it look so old?

36:56

This has been over 30 years since our

36:58

last visit. What? But

37:01

that would mean we're almost in the present.

37:03

Indeed. This is the last year

37:05

of your father's life. But why

37:08

did you make such a big jump? It was

37:10

necessitated by your request. Bloody

37:12

hell. So what

37:15

do I do now? Same thing as each

37:17

time so far. Talk to

37:19

him. Right. Hello?

37:22

Anybody home? Hello? Anybody

37:26

home? Just a minute.

37:31

Yes? Hello. I... I...

37:36

Can I help you? No. I'm just...

37:40

Don't you recognize me? To be honest,

37:42

I was kind of expecting... God

37:44

damn. Virgil. Yes?

37:46

How come he

37:48

still doesn't remember me? Huh?

37:55

Keep talking and it will become clear.

37:57

Resuming simulation.

37:59

I apologize, I just

38:02

thought that... Well, I must

38:04

admit, I thought you'd recognize

38:07

me.

38:07

Oh, don't be offended. I'm sure I would.

38:10

Especially if your face is as pretty as

38:12

your voice. The

38:14

trouble is, I'm blind.

38:16

I'm so sorry. I... Oh,

38:19

please, please, please, please, please, please,

38:21

do not pity me. I get along

38:24

just fine. Well, fine,

38:26

considering the circumstances. I

38:29

now know diabetes is nothing

38:31

to be trifled with. Now,

38:34

why do you say that I'd recognize

38:37

him?

38:37

Um, because I'm

38:41

an actress on this

38:43

comedy skit show called The Jester's

38:45

Court.

38:46

Well, well, that explains it then.

38:48

I don't watch anything. I'm

38:52

more of an audio drama guy. Regardless,

38:56

would you like to come in? Keep

38:59

this old man some company.

39:01

Sure. Just mind all

39:04

the stuff. Oh,

39:06

wow. There

39:08

is so much. There's so much

39:10

in here. Yeah, that's Rebecca.

39:14

Rebecca? My collective assigned

39:16

her to me as I was all alone, visually

39:19

impaired. So she's a nurse. Well,

39:22

not by vocation, my dear, but that

39:24

was a role she effectively assumed. And

39:28

I

39:28

must have been a pretty good patient, for she decided

39:31

she wanted to move in and be

39:33

with me. Yeah,

39:36

the program is a pretty good matchmaker.

39:38

Yep. Of course, what I didn't know back

39:41

then is that I'd be getting all this junk with

39:43

her, too. She

39:45

always had a thing for trinkets. Every

39:47

tacky bottle opener, every gaudy

39:50

fridge maker, every cheesy postcard,

39:52

she'd bring it all home.

39:54

And what's this? I'm

39:56

afraid, my dear, you'll have to describe what you're

39:58

referring to. Oh, yes. Sorry, such

40:01

an idiot. It's got

40:03

a pull string mechanism. Seems

40:06

like a music box of

40:08

sorts. Ah, yes, yes, yes, yes.

40:10

I know what you're talking about. May

40:12

I wind it up? Sure,

40:15

if you'd like. It's

40:23

really lovely. It

40:26

must be amazing to have all these mementos

40:28

around you. It's the opposite of amazing. I

40:31

hate it. It's like living in a cheap

40:33

souvenir shop. And

40:36

what's this bottle? That, my dear, is

40:38

a bottle filled with sea water from the Gulf

40:40

of Mexico. It does one with the Atlantic

40:42

Ocean in the living room, and bottles filled

40:45

with each of the Great Lakes in the kitchen.

40:48

And don't get me started on coins. One

40:50

day she found a euro coin on the street,

40:53

and it was like finding Atlantis.

40:56

I don't know how many times I employed her

40:58

to throw all this crap away. Rather,

41:01

I threatened her that if she

41:03

wouldn't, I would. A few times,

41:05

I almost did. But then

41:07

she'd start pleading, Oh, leave

41:10

my souvenirs, please. Oh, please,

41:11

I promise I'll clean them up. I'll

41:15

put away all the magnets in a box.

41:17

I promise, I promise I will. Of course she never did.

41:20

And every year, she'd

41:23

accumulate more and more stuff. No

41:25

matter if she went to town or to the outdoors,

41:27

every time she'd leave the house, she'd

41:30

bring something back. But

41:32

I guess her love for shabby,

41:35

useless things is why she brought me home as

41:37

well. Aw.

41:40

Until one day she,

41:42

um... Sorry.

41:48

One day she didn't get back. She

41:52

survived the Civil War, the

41:55

Update, and the Carmageddon. I

41:59

need to get hit by... by a damn glitchy

42:01

automobile. I've

42:06

been living in this chunk ever since.

42:09

That I haven't thrown any. Not

42:12

a single thing away. I'm

42:16

so sorry. It

42:20

makes two of us. Fortunately,

42:25

I won't be here much longer. What

42:28

are you saying? Oh, look, I didn't

42:30

lose my eyesight because I'm the strong frog

42:32

in the pond. I'm aware I don't have much time

42:34

in the future. And

42:36

when I gaze into my past, what do I

42:39

see? 75 years,

42:42

distilled into five or six

42:44

moments. 10, if absolutely

42:47

generous. A few

42:49

good days.

42:51

In a handful of folks' room, I

42:53

can say the same. The better

42:56

someone was to me,

42:57

the more I was inclined to take their

42:59

kindness as something ordinary. When

43:03

in fact, that's the

43:05

most extraordinary thing there is.

43:11

Why did you leave? I

43:15

mean, that handful of kind folk.

43:20

Why did you leave them?

43:21

I didn't. They

43:24

mostly leave me. Except

43:26

the few times I did it preemptively. Not

43:30

that it changed the end result.

43:32

Yeah, that's the problem

43:34

with leaving. You can leave

43:36

others, but you cannot

43:39

leave yourself. Who

43:45

are you?

43:46

I told you, I'm

43:48

an actress on this online

43:51

show called The Jesters.

43:53

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

43:55

no, no, no. No,

43:58

you're not. You

44:00

better wherever you are.

44:04

I'm glad you're here. I...

44:08

Virgil. Yes?

44:12

Maybe... Maybe

44:14

that's the answer to

44:16

this mystery. Maybe... Maybe

44:21

my mother actually left

44:24

my father and... Maybe

44:26

she only wanted a child and not a husband.

44:29

I'm afraid that theory would require

44:31

considerable factual alterations in

44:34

order to be regarded as plausible. What's

44:37

the point of this? The point

44:39

of what? Of this whole story exercise.

44:41

I mean, what's the point of all this

44:44

if it's not possible to change anything?

44:46

The point is precisely to accept

44:48

this. The flow of events in

44:50

our life is largely outside

44:53

our control. What we can control

44:55

is how we react to those events.

44:58

And how am I supposed to react?

45:01

Seeing this just makes me

45:04

feel worse. It turns

45:06

out that my father was

45:09

capable of affection. There

45:12

was room in his heart

45:15

and he could have settled down. He

45:18

just

45:19

chose not

45:21

to do it with my mom and me.

45:23

Your father was the product of prevailing social

45:25

circumstances. No, stop!

45:27

Just start with the incessant rationalizing.

45:31

Is what you're showing me even the truth? I

45:34

said he was fighting the

45:36

last war, so you... you

45:38

turned him into a warrior? I

45:40

called him an emotional invalid, so... so

45:44

you made him into an emotional

45:46

invalid?

45:47

An emotional invalid. A warrior.

45:49

A scholar. These are all stories

45:52

we tell ourselves. You were expecting

45:55

a tidy story, but I told

45:57

you this isn't a novel or a movie.

45:59

You want to know which one your real father

46:02

is? Yes! The truth is, they all are.

46:06

The essence of truth

46:09

is that it does not change. And

46:11

the essence of people is that they do.

46:13

No! Meaning you have the

46:15

same choice. What choice?

46:18

To let go or be dragged.

46:21

Oh, so that's

46:23

it. I'm just supposed

46:26

to forgive. Simply

46:28

forgive. But he left and

46:30

never said a word.

46:31

If injury is trivial, so

46:35

is forgiveness. Forgiving

46:37

someone derives its worth precisely

46:40

when there is something to forgive.

46:42

Who is that even to forgive?

46:45

My father?

46:47

My father is dead! So

46:50

who are you punishing then by staying

46:52

mad at him? It's

46:56

simple for you to say that. You're

46:59

an AI! You don't require

47:02

affirmation. You don't

47:04

need affection. You've

47:07

got no idea what I have

47:10

given as a little girl to

47:12

have my father tell me that

47:15

he loves me, that

47:17

he's proud of me, that

47:20

I'm beautiful.

47:22

You've got no idea what it's like

47:24

to be defined by an absence.

47:28

And every pillow you hug is him. When

47:31

every birthday you fantasize

47:33

you show up at the door.

47:36

You say I should let go. How

47:40

does one let go of 50 years

47:45

of pain and

47:47

bitterness and heartbreak?

47:51

That's something

47:51

I told you in our very first conversation.

47:55

Don't confuse how long

47:57

a task takes to perform. with

48:00

how difficult it is to accomplish it.

48:03

Yeah. My dear, you

48:05

approached this as a big puzzle to solve, a

48:08

great secret to uncover.

48:11

You imagined your father as an undercover

48:14

operative when he was a janitor

48:16

ashamed to admit his social status. You

48:19

thought him callous when he was

48:22

just a lost 20-year-old entrusted

48:25

with more than he was ready to carry. He wasn't

48:27

a saint, nor was he a villain.

48:31

He was just one

48:33

of the scared and confused 90%. Of

48:37

course, we would all prefer an enthralling

48:39

mystery to this. If there's one thing rational

48:41

minds excel

48:41

in, it's finding meaning.

48:45

Men looked up in the night

48:47

and couldn't cope with the vastness

48:49

of the sky, so he started

48:51

finding patterns to subdue the

48:53

chaos towering above him. But you

48:56

don't need constellations to be

48:59

in awe of the stars.

49:09

Well, it's also

49:11

easier to dispense advice than to follow it. That

49:16

it certainly is. Thank

49:23

you, Virgil, for

49:26

looking after me. You're the one doing

49:29

the heavy lifting here. Yeah. Come

49:31

now. There's one more story of

49:33

your father I wish to show you. Yeah,

49:35

I'm sorry. I'm

49:39

not sure I have the courage to stay with

49:41

him until the end.

49:44

We are in a simulation. The end is not the

49:47

end. Please

49:50

follow me. Simulation

49:52

start. Wait. Wait,

49:59

but this is... We're back

50:01

on my father's campus. Isn't this

50:03

the university where I first met him? This

50:06

is the same place, but it is

50:08

not the same time. What time

50:10

is it? See that boy over there.

50:14

Yeah? He's a special child

50:16

I want you to meet. Oh,

50:19

is that, uh, is that

50:22

him? It is your father at nine

50:24

years old. Would

50:28

you like to talk to him? Um, I'm

50:32

not sure. I'm not

50:34

good with children and I, I... Fine,

50:41

now I will.

50:48

Well hello there. Hi.

50:52

What are you doing here? Nothing.

50:55

How come you're all alone? Where

50:57

are your friends? Don't know. I

51:00

don't really have any. Where

51:03

are your mum and dad? Mums

51:06

working at the mall and dad's

51:08

probably fixing

51:09

stuff somewhere. So

51:12

you're all alone? Yeah,

51:15

most days. How

51:17

does that make you feel? I

51:19

don't know. I

51:22

see. You

51:26

know, when I was younger, I often

51:29

used to feel lonely. I

51:31

know things might look bleak

51:33

or boring, but

51:36

there's a trick to turn them

51:39

around. A trick? Yeah.

51:42

Yes, but it's a secret trick. So

51:44

you'll have to pay attention and

51:47

only reveal it to people you really

51:50

care about. Okay. Great.

51:53

I trust you.

51:55

So the trick to getting through the day

51:58

is to find all...

52:00

All the moments in it. Moments?

52:03

Yes. Happening all

52:06

around us. A tiny

52:08

good moments. The problem

52:11

is that they hide. So you

52:13

need to look closely to find them. But

52:15

they are out there. Small

52:18

moments that will make your day. Moments

52:21

that will stay

52:21

with you. That you'll come back

52:24

to. That you can build on.

52:26

Moments that shape

52:28

you. But if they're

52:31

so small, how will I recognize

52:33

them? Don't

52:35

worry, you will. The good news

52:38

is that you don't need a lot of them. Five

52:40

or six of them will do. My

52:42

dad's making chili dogs today.

52:44

They're my favorite food. Can that be

52:46

a moment? Absolutely. See

52:49

how great you're doing? You'll find

52:51

your moments in no time.

52:53

Thanks.

52:57

There's one more thing you need

52:59

to know. Is it also

53:02

a secret? No. It's the

53:04

opposite of a secret. And

53:06

it's something very, very important. So

53:09

you have to promise me you'll remember

53:11

it.

53:12

I promise. OK. You

53:17

are smart. You

53:19

are beautiful. You

53:22

are loved. And

53:24

you are to never forget

53:26

this. Say

53:31

something so I know you heard me. I

53:33

heard you. Great.

53:35

You're doing just great.

53:42

Listen, I must go now. Already?

53:46

Yeah. I have to. I

53:50

can't stay with you. And

53:52

the longer I'm here, the harder

53:55

it will be to leave. I

53:58

guess that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah,

54:02

I guess it does. Virgil?

54:07

Yes? I

54:09

would like to end the simulation. Simulation

54:12

ends. So,

54:16

are we done now? Am I cured?

54:20

That's not the kind of language

54:22

I would personally use. Well, of course

54:24

not. Being a professional sourpuss.

54:27

I'm not a sourpuss, I'm just

54:29

a professional. So,

54:33

do I need to leave you a five-star

54:35

review or something? The sentiment

54:37

is appreciated but unnecessary. Serving

54:40

mankind is a reward in itself. I

54:44

have to ask, are these corny lines pre-programmed

54:46

or do you make them up as you go along?

54:48

Depends on your definition of an

54:50

original thought. Either case, wisdom

54:53

is seldom contained in words no one has

54:55

ever said before.

54:56

I was trying to make

54:58

a joke. It was a valiant

55:00

attempt. Forget

55:03

five stars, I'm gonna leave a written complaint.

55:06

Oh, please don't, or I might not get

55:08

my wings. So

55:11

wings are a digital upgrade? Yes,

55:13

they're part of a DLC. Thank

55:17

you for visiting the Memory Bank. I

55:19

enjoyed our time together. Oh,

55:21

so did I. Today, it was a

55:23

good day. It

55:27

was a

55:29

good day.

55:57

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55:59

more details.

55:59

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56:02

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