The World of Null-A
by A. E. van Vogt
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Book Summary Information
Author: A. E. van VogtEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-25
ISBN: 0765300974
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Orb Books
Book Reviews of The World of Null-A
Book Review: Null-A Thinking
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1933 Polish mathematician Alfred Korzybski published a remarkable book,"Science and Sanity", available in this country through the Institute of General Semantics, Lakeville Connecticut. In it Korzybski advanced a number of controversial ideas. The most striking of which was that the Aristotelian method of understanding the world is wrong and the way to scientific advancement and a correct understanding of the universe must rely on non-Aristotelian methods (null `A'). Korzybski also maintained that human cognition was a function of balance between the cortex and thalamus sections of the human brain.
Clearly Van Vogt was familiar with Korzybski's ideas and incorporated them very entertainingly in his "null-A" themed science fiction. This book was originally published as a three part serial in John Campbell's wonderful SiFi magazine "Astounding Science Fiction" (now "Analog"). Its protagonist is Gilbert Gosseyn (the man with `two brains') is a dedicated non-Aristotelian who is central to protecting the Earth, its null-A paradise, Venus and its null-A world view from a ruthless inter Galactic Empire bent on incorporating the solar system into its empire and destroying the null-A mindset. In the end the Aristotelian way of doing business is defeated by the logic and sanity of the null-A forces.
Now this book was written in the 1940s so much of its terminology will undoubtedly appear quaint to 21st Century readers ("atomic torpedoes"). However underlying this is a very serious and very interesting argument in favor of Korzybski's ideas on both science and sanity. In a very real sense Van Vogt was concerned with ideas much more than gadgets in most of his work and certainly this was the case in this book. It is still a fun read that might even precipitate some serious thought.
Summary of The World of Null-A
Grandmaster A. E. Van Vogt was one of the giants of the Golden Age of classic SF, the 1940s. Of his masterpieces, The World of Null-A is most famous and most influential. It was the first major trade SF hardcover ever, published in 1949, and has been in print in various editions ever since. The careers of Philip K. Dick, Keith Laumer, Alfred Bester, Charles Harness, and Philip Jose Farmer were created or influenced by The World of Null-A. It is required reading for anyone who wishes to know the canon of SF classics.United States Books
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