Notes from Anathem

Neal Stephenson’s Anathem was inspired by a [Long Now Foundation](http://longnow.org) request for designs of a clock that would measure time for 10,000 years. Stephenson’s idea of a societal, rather than mechanical, system was not chosen, but [did turn into his next book](http://blog.longnow.org/2008/07/21/anathem-and-long-now/).

Stephenson cleverly set Anathem in a place that is “not Earth, but a planet called Arbre that is similar to Earth in many ways”. This allowed him to take as much as he wanted from Earth’s culture (human beings, technologies), while feeling free to change whatever he liked (like adding several thousand years of history). A clever storytelling technique.

The general theme is of a society which separates out its scientists and intellectuals into convents, walled off from the world for predefined periods of time: 1 year, 10 years, 100 years, even 1000 years. The doors to these concentric conclaves are opened and closed at these intervals by the mechanics of the clocks that run them.

This concept is like catnip for geeks: a culture that prizes their geeks so much it leaves them alone to work on their projects for thousands of years. It’s no wonder that programmers and engineers are the ones most excited about the book; the SF launch event attendees were nearly an exact replica of the Google population.

Wired magazine did [a good profile of Stephenson and the book](http://www.wired.com/culture/art/magazine/16-09/mf_stephenson?currentPage=all), which inspired me to attend [the Long Now event in San Francisco where the book was launched](http://www.longnow.org/anathem/). The event ran tremendously behind schedule, which gave me time to grab a copy before it started. And as my friend observed, “these guys are building a 10,000 year clock. Do you think they’re worried about starting 45 minutes late?”

It had been a long time since I’d read a book this long, and I was surprised by the sheer number of things you can do in 900 pages. Stephenson takes his readers on a huge adventure from a monastery courtyard to the stars and beyond; it seemed like at least 3 books in one (in fact, the work it most reminded me of was Lord of the Rings, both in style and scope). I’m now reading The Silmarillion, which tells the background of the Lord of the Rings story, and am developing an appreciation for this long-form storytelling. It was very engaging, though, and I read it in a weekend.

I’ve discussed the book since with several others who haven’t read it, and one topic that always comes up is the concept of these monasteries being shut to the world for so long. In Anathem, the monasteries are not completely sealed. There exist systems for people to cross between them, and of course they’re open to the sky and planes flying over or skyscrapers built right next door. So while the letter of the law is violated, the spirit is kept, and the inhabitants respect the rules of an isolated society.

Anathem gave me a new appreciation for the value of both long books and long-term thinking. Both are underappreciated today, and both seem like just what I need.

### Notes

Only a few quotes from the book that I flagged; the real point of this book is the 900-page trip it takes you on, not the individual ideas.

Just as Eskimos have many words for types of snow, monks in a closed monastery might have multiple words for types of discussion:

> We covered a mile in silence. Even though we didn’t say anything, we were in dialog: a peregrin dialog, meaning two equals wandering around trying to work something out, as opposed to a suvinian dialog where a fid is being taught by a mentor, or a Periklynian dialog, which is combat. – 71

Interesting motivation for mindfulness:

> “Nothing is more important than that you see and love the beauty that is right in front of you, or else you will have no defense against the ugliness that will hem you in and come at you in so many ways.” – Fraa Orolo – 109

The introduction of the monastery to outsiders reminded me of the design process:

> “If this all seems ambiguous, that’s because it is; and if that troubles you, you’d hate it here; but if it gives you a feeling of relief, then you are in the right place and might consider staying.” – 141

** SPOILER **

> “Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs,” I said. “We have a protractor.” – 320

** END SPOILER **