令人沉思的科幻作品 Thought-provoking science fiction

Science fiction writers are the philosophers of our time. They create alternate worlds that force us to think through social, political, economic and scientific problems that are hard to deal with directly.
科幻作家是我们这个时代的哲学家。他们创造不同的世界，迫使我们思考无法直接解决的社会、政治、经济和科学问题。
Bao Shu's novel The Redemption of Time: A Three-Body Problem Novel (Remembrance of Earth's Past Book 4), which recently became available in an English translation by Ken Liu, is a great illustration of sci-fi's ability to probe deep questions. The novel is set in Liu Cixin's "Three Body Problem" universe.
宝树写的《三体x观想之宙》是刘慈欣的“三体”系列的同人作品，最近被刘宇昆翻译成英语。这本书很好地体现出科幻作品探索深刻问题的能力。
Very highly recommended. This book will make you think deeply.
这本书能激发你深入思考，很值得推荐。
Bao Shu is the pen name of Li Jun, who earned a master's degree in philosophy at Peking University and a second master's at Belgium's Catholic University of Leuven, which has been a historic contributor to the development of Catholic theology. 
宝树是李俊的笔名，他是北京大学的哲学硕士，也是比利时鲁汶大学的哲学硕士。鲁汶大学为天主教神学的发展做出了历史性的贡献。
The Redemption of Time draws on Chinese, Western, and Byzantine history and philosophy. Ambitiously, it ties ideas from string theory and quantum mechanics to philosophies of eschatology — the ultimate destiny or purpose of mankind.
《三体x观想之宙》涉及了中西方和拜占庭的历史和哲学。这本书雄心勃勃地将宇宙弦理论、量子力学与末世论哲学结合在一起。
To me, in parts it seems to be a re-telling of John Milton's Paradise Lost — the greatest epic poem in the English language. Both Milton and Bao Shu delve into the meaning of good and evil, freedom and responsibility.
我到觉得这本书有些地方像John Milton的《失乐园》。Milton和宝树都深入探讨了正与邪、自由与责任。
Bao Shu says that, in addition to Liu Cixin, he has learned much from contemporary English-language sci-fi writers such Stephen Baxter, Robert J. Sawyer, Ted Chiang and Ken Liu. 
宝树说，除了刘慈欣，他还从现代英语科幻作家Stephen Baxter、Robert J. Sawyer、姜峯楠和刘宇昆等人那里学到很多。
He says he has also been deeply influenced by existentialist philosophers like Nietzsche, Heidegger, Levinas and some Chinese figures like the Ming dynasty neo-Confucian philosopher Wang Yangming. 
他表示自己也深受存在主义哲学家尼采、海德格尔、列维纳斯和明代新儒学家王阳明的影响。
In an interview with China Daily, Bao Shu discussed the role of Chinese sci-fi:
宝树在接受《中国日报》采访时探讨了中国科幻作品的角色：
CD: Do you think Chinese sci-fi is exploring key philosophical or societal issues?
问：你认为中国科幻作品探索了关键性的哲学或社会问题吗？
Bao Shu: While some themes of sci-fi touch philosophical questions, for example, time travel or parallel universes, Chinese writers in general treat them just like their western counterparts. But when it concerns ethics, Chinese writers sometimes do have different thoughts formed by special historical experience. 
答：一些科幻作品的主题是哲学问题，例如时间旅行和平行宇宙，中西方作家的态度都一样。但是在伦理方面，中国作家有时确实基于特殊历史经历而有不同想法。
For example, in The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin explores the question: "What we can give up for survival?" "Is there anything more important than survival?" And his answers might be very different from western sci-fi writers. 
比如，刘慈欣在《三体》中探讨了“我们为了生存能放弃什么？”“有什么比生存更重要？”他的答案可能与西方科幻作者大相径庭。
CD: What is Chinese about Chinese science fiction? That is, what can a foreigner learn about Chinese thought or Chinese views of history by reading Chinese sci-fi?
问：中国科幻小说中的“中国”是什么？外国人看中国科幻作品时，能学到什么样的中国思想或历史观？
Bao Shu: Unlike in Wuxia or eastern fantasy, it's not very easy to recognize something particularly "Chinese" in sci-fi. In many works you still can feel a kind of desire for science and technology. Many stories focus on China making a breakthrough ahead of other countries. This is driven by anxiety about China's backwardness in very recent times.  
答：不同于武侠和东方神话，我们很难从科幻作品中很容易地找到“中国”元素。很多作品会让你感受到对科技的渴望。很多聚焦中国的作品都比别的国家更具有突破性，因为作者在为中国近期不过先进的状态焦虑。
When writers focus on alternative histories, for example, their interest is on the hypothesis that science can grow in Chinese culture. You still can recognize the old conflict between traditional Chinese culture and modern science that had lasted for centuries.
比如当作者面对不同历史时，他们的兴趣点在于假设科学在中国文化中发展。你能感觉到传统中国文化和现代科学之间，持续了几百年的碰撞。
CD: Why do you think Chinese sci-fi has taken off recently? Do you think that it is an indicator of societal dynamism?
问：你为何认为中国科幻作品近期在发展？你认为这标志了社会活力吗？
Bao Shu: I think it's closely related to the fast development of Chinese economics, society and technology. For many Chinese, their lives are becoming more and more sci-fi. 
答：我认为这与中国经济、社会和技术的快速发展密切相关。很多中国人的生活愈发科幻。
On the other hand, the world has an increasing interest in China, and the Chinese version of the future suddenly matters. So foreign people are paying more attention to Chinese sci-fi, too. 
另外，世界对中国越来越感兴趣，突然之间中国版的未来模式变得很重要，因此外国人越发关注中国科幻作品。
Bottom Line: This reporter can't put down the many fascinating works by Chinese sci-fi writers that are finally coming out in English translation. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
底线：本文作者对中国作家的佳作爱不释手。来看看这本书吧。