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Conscience of The Machine
"Thought Provoking . . . sure to engage the reader's imagination and question viewpoints held." Your notions of free will and fate will never be the same!
Science is on the cusp of determining that there is a physiological basis for everything we think and feel. It is but a short hop further away from declaring, like Nietzsche of God, that free will is dead. Soon our every impulse will be traced to a neurotransmitter, our will reduced to a biochemical afterthought. CONSCIENCE OF THE MACHINE is both a critique and a defense of our conception of our identity at the precise moment that it comes under sharpest attack by scientific reductionism.
The lives of troubled student Bobby Rosen, his ultra-competent teacher Emma Browne, and the brilliant failure Principal Harvey McNair intersect at the surreal implement of punishment known only as The Machine. Each faces a personal crisis that jolts them out of the sleep of habit, the haze of subconscious autopilot in which we persist day by day. As they struggle against the genetics and experiences which have shaped them, each must come to grips with the fact that large swaths of their minds seem beyond their control.
Yet each has the opportunity to make a simple decision, to flip the switch like a Tibetan monk meditating over happiness, and remap the biochemical pathways of their brains through sheer will alone. Their intertwined troubles will drive one of them past the brink of sanity, into an impossible conversation with The Machine in which unexpected revelations about where machine ends and man begins unfurl. For each of them, the questions that arise are not mere idle philosophy but matters of life and death, sanity or insanity.
Is our identity shaped brick by brick through a series of deliberate conscious decisions or fashioned haphazardly by unconscious, automatic responses?
Are we responsible for our choices or merely witness to them?
Science is on the cusp of determining that there is a physiological basis for everything we think and feel. It is but a short hop further away from declaring, like Nietzsche of God, that free will is dead. Soon our every impulse will be traced to a neurotransmitter, our will reduced to a biochemical afterthought. CONSCIENCE OF THE MACHINE is both a critique and a defense of our conception of our identity at the precise moment that it comes under sharpest attack by scientific reductionism.
The lives of troubled student Bobby Rosen, his ultra-competent teacher Emma Browne, and the brilliant failure Principal Harvey McNair intersect at the surreal implement of punishment known only as The Machine. Each faces a personal crisis that jolts them out of the sleep of habit, the haze of subconscious autopilot in which we persist day by day. As they struggle against the genetics and experiences which have shaped them, each must come to grips with the fact that large swaths of their minds seem beyond their control.
Yet each has the opportunity to make a simple decision, to flip the switch like a Tibetan monk meditating over happiness, and remap the biochemical pathways of their brains through sheer will alone. Their intertwined troubles will drive one of them past the brink of sanity, into an impossible conversation with The Machine in which unexpected revelations about where machine ends and man begins unfurl. For each of them, the questions that arise are not mere idle philosophy but matters of life and death, sanity or insanity.
Is our identity shaped brick by brick through a series of deliberate conscious decisions or fashioned haphazardly by unconscious, automatic responses?
Are we responsible for our choices or merely witness to them?
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2010
12 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Brian Cato
4 books3 followersBrian Cato pursued dual majors in philosophy and chemistry at Brown University. Besides writing, he's worked as a synthetic organic chemist, an MCAT instructor, and a software engineer for a computational chemistry company. His short fiction has appeared in decomP Magazine and the Sci Phi Journal. He currently resides on the New Jersey side of the shadow of New York City with his wife and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 9, 2020
Thought Provoking
Conscience of The Machine by Brian Cato is a thought-provoking and challenging fictional narrative that may lead the reader down a path that questions some of the very core beliefs that are held onto.
At a neighbor high school, the sounds of normal activity are suddenly shattered at the sounds of a horrible, metallic, and shrieking sound. Students are not exactly sure what is causing this horrific sound. They only know that young lives are changed significantly with only the tell-tale trails of blood nearby.
Three specific characters are extensively developed in this fascinating book. There are the stern and unwavering principal, Harvey McNair, a troubled young student by the name of Bobby and Emma Browne, the compassionate teacher who sees the potential in her students.
Emma and Harvey both want their students to realize their full potential. However, both have different viewpoints on how to achieve this objective.
Harvey, the no-nonsense principal, wants to introduce troubled and under-achieving children to The Machine. The purpose of The Machine is to frighten the children and keep them pliable. The Machine is that tool that will achieve the objective towards the betterment of the child.
Emma embraces the exact opposite course of action.
Added to the mix are personal issues—struggles and challenges faced by the two educators in dealing with their demons.
Finally, swirling around the foundational thought of this intriguing book is the matter of choice. Do we have free will, or is the notion of choices an illusion and everything is fated?
Conscience of The Machine by Brian Cato is an intriguing book that is sure to engage the reader's imagination and question viewpoints held. The questioning may lead to additional questions or perhaps solidify one's current viewpoint as it relates to choices.
Add in a touch of Greek mythology and you have a very enjoyable read.
For the characters in this book, no one was immune from change as they interacted with The Machine.
Conscience of The Machine by Brian Cato is a thought-provoking and challenging fictional narrative that may lead the reader down a path that questions some of the very core beliefs that are held onto.
At a neighbor high school, the sounds of normal activity are suddenly shattered at the sounds of a horrible, metallic, and shrieking sound. Students are not exactly sure what is causing this horrific sound. They only know that young lives are changed significantly with only the tell-tale trails of blood nearby.
Three specific characters are extensively developed in this fascinating book. There are the stern and unwavering principal, Harvey McNair, a troubled young student by the name of Bobby and Emma Browne, the compassionate teacher who sees the potential in her students.
Emma and Harvey both want their students to realize their full potential. However, both have different viewpoints on how to achieve this objective.
Harvey, the no-nonsense principal, wants to introduce troubled and under-achieving children to The Machine. The purpose of The Machine is to frighten the children and keep them pliable. The Machine is that tool that will achieve the objective towards the betterment of the child.
Emma embraces the exact opposite course of action.
Added to the mix are personal issues—struggles and challenges faced by the two educators in dealing with their demons.
Finally, swirling around the foundational thought of this intriguing book is the matter of choice. Do we have free will, or is the notion of choices an illusion and everything is fated?
Conscience of The Machine by Brian Cato is an intriguing book that is sure to engage the reader's imagination and question viewpoints held. The questioning may lead to additional questions or perhaps solidify one's current viewpoint as it relates to choices.
Add in a touch of Greek mythology and you have a very enjoyable read.
For the characters in this book, no one was immune from change as they interacted with The Machine.
May 2, 2020
Conscience of The Machine is written by Brian Cato, a philosopher whose works are centred in the phenomenon of the mind, the human identity and the huge irrationality of the people. Part fantasy thriller, part mystery, this thought- provoking novel will fulfil the reader’s expectations.
I dare to say that from the very beginning the title of this book caught my attention and then it was held fully throughout the reading. I found myself really drawn into the story and caring for the characters. The readers will experience events far from those of their daily life and they will feel immersed in a new world so realistic enough that they will found themselves lost in the fiction.
Brian is a fantastic writer and creates a blistering pace that flows very well. The action is solid, suspenseful and each chapter ends in ways that demand you keep reading. The story takes place around Bobby, who is the typical disturbed student, the principal Harvey and Emma, the efficient teacher who takes care of her students.
The characters are all beautifully fleshed out, especially the protagonist of the story. As a reader I could feel his pain, frustration, anger and despair. I felt in his shoes all the time.
I would gladly recommend you all, no matter what age, to read this book.
I dare to say that from the very beginning the title of this book caught my attention and then it was held fully throughout the reading. I found myself really drawn into the story and caring for the characters. The readers will experience events far from those of their daily life and they will feel immersed in a new world so realistic enough that they will found themselves lost in the fiction.
Brian is a fantastic writer and creates a blistering pace that flows very well. The action is solid, suspenseful and each chapter ends in ways that demand you keep reading. The story takes place around Bobby, who is the typical disturbed student, the principal Harvey and Emma, the efficient teacher who takes care of her students.
The characters are all beautifully fleshed out, especially the protagonist of the story. As a reader I could feel his pain, frustration, anger and despair. I felt in his shoes all the time.
I would gladly recommend you all, no matter what age, to read this book.
May 4, 2020
A great book to read carefully with cup of tea.
This book is extremely absorbing and thought provoking. “The conscience of The Machine” was written by Brian Cato. I dare say that I found the reading very challenging.
The story unfolds around Bobby Rosen´s life, a disturbed boy but with an active imagination. Also, the story centers in his teacher Emma Browne and the Principal Harvey McNair. The three of them must wrestle with sleep deprivation and how this affects their lives. It is as if they are living in a different world due to their unconsciousness.
It is a very descriptive book, full of examples and vocabulary which makes the reading much more enthralling. Apart from that, there are new expressions and words to learn. This book makes you feel that you are in the characters´ inner thoughts and you understand their minds. Each character is well-developed and complex- for sure you will be thinking as they do along the reading. I truly recommend it!
This book is extremely absorbing and thought provoking. “The conscience of The Machine” was written by Brian Cato. I dare say that I found the reading very challenging.
The story unfolds around Bobby Rosen´s life, a disturbed boy but with an active imagination. Also, the story centers in his teacher Emma Browne and the Principal Harvey McNair. The three of them must wrestle with sleep deprivation and how this affects their lives. It is as if they are living in a different world due to their unconsciousness.
It is a very descriptive book, full of examples and vocabulary which makes the reading much more enthralling. Apart from that, there are new expressions and words to learn. This book makes you feel that you are in the characters´ inner thoughts and you understand their minds. Each character is well-developed and complex- for sure you will be thinking as they do along the reading. I truly recommend it!
May 23, 2020
This book is philosophy embedded in a story
The story begins at a neighborhood High school, normal activity is suddenly shattered by the sounds of a horrible, metallic, and shrieking sound. Students are not exactly sure what is causing this horrific sound. They only know that young lives are changed significantly with only small trails of blood nearby.
Emma is a teacher at the school. Bobby is her student - that Emma is worried about. Harvey is the principal who believes fully in the "machine" - a form of punishment - punishment that he believes will motivate students to do their best. Emma and Harvey both want their students to realize their full potential. However, both have different viewpoints on how to achieve this objective. There are several good philosophical discussions about this topic. The best one -"to me" - was Emma's husband's speech to Emma after she had a car accident.
The story begins at a neighborhood High school, normal activity is suddenly shattered by the sounds of a horrible, metallic, and shrieking sound. Students are not exactly sure what is causing this horrific sound. They only know that young lives are changed significantly with only small trails of blood nearby.
Emma is a teacher at the school. Bobby is her student - that Emma is worried about. Harvey is the principal who believes fully in the "machine" - a form of punishment - punishment that he believes will motivate students to do their best. Emma and Harvey both want their students to realize their full potential. However, both have different viewpoints on how to achieve this objective. There are several good philosophical discussions about this topic. The best one -"to me" - was Emma's husband's speech to Emma after she had a car accident.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews