- Title: The Invincible
- Author: Stanislaw Lem (translated by Bill Johnston)
- Published: 1973
- Publisher: Pro Auctire Wojciech Zemek (printed 2017)
- ISBN: 978-83-63471-54-5
Science fiction novels are a mirror of how we perceive technology in a specific era. As we have seen in “Star Trek” episodes, it is always fascinating to imagine we humans (Homo sapiens) encountering alien life-forms or interstellar mysteries.
Lem gives us an entirely different point of view on how we encounter the unknown. Many science fiction books assume that intelligent alien life-forms somehow manage to communicate with human beings. This is based on the underlying assumption that language and communication are requirements for intelligence. But is that really the case?
In “Solaris” (Lem’s most well-known work, perhaps due to its movie adaptations) and “The Invincible”, Lem shows that communication is not as easy as it seems. Another excellent novel that deals with this theme is “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Unlike “Solaris”, which is allusive, dark, and inward-looking, “The Invincible” is more direct and action-oriented, reading much like an adventure story. It places you on the sunny side of things rather than in a foggy swamp. The tension of wanting to know what is happening kept me reading until the very end without a break.
Even though the plot seems clear, it is still a one-way communication. Our understanding is always based on our current set of ideas and experiences. Thomas Kuhn showed that this limitation in our cognitive behavior exists even in the most objective area of all: science. Intentionally or not, a paradigm restricts our view, narrowing our scope of vision while simultaneously helping us reach a conclusion.
It is often said that we need to look at things without prejudice or preconception. However, I am highly doubtful that this is even possible. In one way or another, we are trapped by—and dependent on—the symbolic web that we have constructed. That is precisely why we mistakenly accept that mutual communication is natural and universally available.
In “The Invincible”, we are asked to think over two major issues:
- How to understand the unknown
- How evolution might work
I highly recommend reading Lem’s “The Invincible” and “Solaris” together. They are completely different feasts for the mind, and they will give you a chance to rethink how we understand everything outside of ourselves.
Scriptorium 