DAVID BRIN's worlds of UPLIFT

what if we could uplift?

David Brin's Uplift series portrays humanity's desperate struggle for survival in a dangerous universe... and how we may cope by adding diversity to our civilization — by bringing "wise partners," other sentient beings, with us on this journey.

Artificial intelligence is one way that we envision these "wise partners." But in this science fiction series diversity is achieved by boosting the intelligence of some of our fellow creatures on Planet Earth. Think of it: Dolphins and apes — especially! — seem trapped under a "glass ceiling" that limits their ability to speak, to argue, to create, to use tools, to invent and take part in Terran culture. But what if we, the first species on Earth to cross the wide gulf of sapience, were to turn around and offer the hand of "uplift" to them? To pass on the gift (that sometimes threatens to be a curse) of a fully empowered mind?

wouldn't we also uplift... ourselves?

These best-selling space epics interweave multiple viewpoints, both human and alien, with complex story lines and solid science. Among the most popular features of these series are the non-human characters, especially the neo-dolphins and neo-chimps, whose thoughts, reactions and psychological stresses are expressed in ways that readers find transfixing and moving. Both strange and strangely familiar... awkward, beautiful and fun.

As David Brin comments, "Each story in the Uplift Universe deals with some issue of good and evil — or the murky realm between." Science Fiction critic John Clute writes that Brin "takes on the galaxy with all the exuberance of an E.E. Smith reborn. There is a ladder to the stars in these books, and humanity (with our new partners) claws upward into pole position in the Five Galaxies."

can science uplift other species?

It's one thing to portray this endeavor in fiction: the prospects, dangers and hopes for increasing animal — and possibly human — intelligence. But could it happen in real life? And if so, what are the ethical, biological, and political drawbacks? If both right and left oppose it, out of reflex, how could such a program ever start? And would the goal — an Earth civilization filled with diverse and beautifully different minds — be worth the pain of getting there? Preliminary questions are asked in Existence

And over at BBC Future Brin joins a groups of others do answer the question, "... as we expand our understanding of how the brain works, and use animal experiments to learn more about the genes involved in intelligence, will we reach a point where we can pull other species onto our intellectual plane?"

how close is science to uplifting?

The novel Earth is known for its many predictions that were realized. Did the Uplift novels predict the latest scientific innovation? "For the very first time, scientists have demonstrated that a brain implant can improve thinking ability in primates." Of course, this begins the debate over the wisdom of pursuing the science: "The question now is: Should we go around enhancing the brains of other living creatures? Do we have the right? Would we live to regret it?"

other models for Uplift

The idea of augmenting the intelligence of humans and other species is a favorite among science fiction writers and filmmakers. Here are just a few examples:

Mass Effect Trilogy (game)

Race For The Galaxy (game)

Brain Wave, by Poul Anderson

Planet of the Apes (book), by Pierre Boulle

Planet Of The Apes (1968) (film), starring Charlton Heston

Watchers, by Dean Koontz

Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith

Sirius (Odd John and Sirius combo), by Olaf Stapledon

Moreau Omnibus, by S. Andrew Swann

The Island of Doctor Moreau, by H. G. Wells

... popular primates too

Orangs, chimps, and apes are a favorite foil for fiction. Though Brin wrote elsewhere about one giant, lovelorn ape, writers tend to prefer primates as tricksters. See these examples from fiction and screen.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: A Novel, by Karen Joy Fowler

Lucy, by Laurence Gonzales

The Woman and the Ape, by Peter Hoeg

Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas, by Jim Ottaviani

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn

Curious George Four Board Book Set, by H. A. Rey

Star Songs of an Old Primate, by James Tiptree, Jr.

uplifting video talks

In this YouTube video David Brin talks about why his Uplift novels seem to differ from his more realistic near-future novels. Then in his Trekspertise interview Brin discusses what makes Science Fiction different from other fiction. Or watch this video where he talks about how humans 'uplift' to civilization.

Want to see other bright minds talk about how science and science fiction contribute to uplift? Watch scholar, writer, and researcher (on propaganda, public diplomacy, the Middle East and science fiction) Etienne Augé talk about why our world needs more science fiction. And Dr. Laura Wiebe looks at how fictional futures can re-imagine real ones.

MTV stopped by WorldCon 2012 and asked David Brin a few questions about Uplift. Watch the interview here.

why David Brin loves radical transparency — and uplift

In this interview with Wired Magazine David Brin touches on a great many topics, including why it might be a good idea to uplift our more intelligent sea creatures: "...the evolution of creatures like us, with hands and fire and all that sort of thing, may be rare in the galaxy. In which case, when we do build starships and head out there, perhaps we’ll find lots and lots of life worlds, but they’re all like Polynesia. We’ll find lots and lots of intelligent lifeforms out there, but they’re all dolphins, whales, squid, who could never build their own starships."

amazing stories

From its very beginnings, science fiction has been transfixed by the eerie notion that human beings may someday pick up the Creator’s toolkit and start "making life," even new kinds of intelligent life. Robots and super-smart computers make up part of this tradition, but there is another side. Perhaps the most important "technology" ever discovered was the domestication of animals to serve human purposes. The question is not whether we’ll take on these powers, but when. In the long run, we’ll be better prepared if we’ve thought about it well in advance.

how close are we to uplift?

The science may be getting close. In "Intelligence, Uplift, and Our Place in a Big Cosmos" Brin looks at the current state of research dedicated boosting brain power.

And in "Are animals intelligent ... enough?" Brin discusses the scientific discussion on whether (and which) animals are ready for uplift.

what if we uplift a super-predator?

Still more to think about: In "Amazing — and sometimes deadly — animals," Brin cautions we may not want to uplift another species that murders, noting "...among mammals in general just 0.3 percent of deaths are murders. For the common ancestor of primates, the rate is 2.3 percent. With 2 percent as a human baseline, we come across as both uncommonly peaceful for primates and uncommonly violent for mammals."