On-line book group

This fast-paced novel explores the impact of corporate science as it weaves together the stories of characters whose lives are affected by advances in genetics research. As well as being a gripping read, Next raises several questions that are pertinent to the world we are living in today. Who owns our data and information about us (including our DNA and tissues if we offer these for research)? How far should we go in genetic engineering? What is the relationship between DNA, biology and being human?   There are undoubtedly advances and benefits to be gained from research into human genetics, and we shouldn't shy away from taking part in medical research should we have the opportunity and feel it's appropriate for us to do so. But there are real issues to be addressed about the limits of consent, the patenting of DNA, and profit-driven research. All of these crop up in this novel.

This challenging but interesting novel by Nathaniel Rich explores the psychology of fear, the science of Capitalism and scoiety's obsession with avoiding blame rather than accepting responsibility and instigating change. In a world in which businesses have to protect themselves against the possibility of numerous potential disasters - war, natural disaster, and climate change among them - those who can calculate the odds are able to profit from both potential and actual disasters. As well as raising ethical questions about the ways in which businesses face issues like climate change and its consequences, this book also posits some 'spiritual' questions about human relationships, fear vs hope, and the nature of society.

Although a work of fiction, this novel draws on the author's scientific knowledge and experience of working in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology to create a realistic and belivable story.   Contact asks the questions, "What if we aren't alone in the universe?" and, "How would we respond if we discovered other intelligent life in the universe?" In the western world, our own history of encounter other, less developed, societies hasn't been entirely virtuous - would we assume that any civilization more technologically advanced than our own is a threat and means us harm? Would our sense of wonder drive us to make contact? Would we assume that any signal from space was either a technical glitch of some sort or a hoax?   Contact, written and set during the 1980s, explores how nations that mistrust one another and goverments that tend towards secrecy on matters of security might negotiate coming together to face a global experience that might be threat or opportunity. The story is also a great reminder of the ways in which science and our common thirst for knowledge can overcome political differences and national boundaries for the sake of scientific collaboration and discovery. Despite being set several decades ago, the story still seems very current and relevant, not least because of the economic aspect of the project to make contact - humanity may be on the verge of the greatest discovery of all time, but to get the funding for their project, the protagonists must show that there will be economic benefit to what they are doing. Not so very different from what many research scientists experience today!   Contact is more than just a science story. It's also a story about the human spirit, faith and belief. The religious response to the possibility of contact with extra-terrestrial life is a key component to the story, and Sagan wonderfully looks at both the positive and negative aspects of religion and public religious figures. Our search for knowledge, our desire to know whether there is anyone else like us out there in the universe, our desire to reach for something beyond ourselves, these are all spiritual aspects to our human existence.  

Each month we will be reading and discussing a different book. To join the book group, all you have to do is read the book and share your thoughts and insights here. Please keep all comments free of inappropriate language and relevant to the book under discussion.