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May 2023
27m 42s

The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu

Book geeks Sam Harris & Nicolas Vereecke
About this episode

Review of the Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, one of the most impactful hard-science fiction books this century.


Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.


We discuss the book and its philosophical ideas as well as some of the more exciting science ideas within. It's a heavy book to wrap your head around but full of insights for the keen explorer.


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Chapters

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 01:00 Quick summary of the book
  • 01:24 Personal reactions to the book 
  • 09:07 Sending a message out to aliens
  • 18:16 How do you determine if a civilisation is important
  • 20:50 Hard times make hard people
  • 24:10 Three body problem review
  • 27:00 Ratings



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