This Post Has 10 Comments

1. 74 years ahead of its time !!!
   The description of a car in the first chapters will blow you away. Keep in mind, this book was published in 1950. those lines were probably written two years prior.

   Reply

2. Prescient and a bit wild
   In 2024 (and probably 2025) I’m rereading my Vonnegut collection in chronological order. I recall not loving Player Piano the first time around, but as an older, more experienced reader, especially one staring down the barrel of AI art/music/literature/everything but what AI should be used for, it’s easy to view this one in a new light. The fact that this was written in the early 50s is prescient and, frankly, wild. Vonnegut crafts Proteus as a human character in a sea of mannequins, stepford wives, not unlike Guy Montag in Fahrenheit 451. The reader sympathizes, understands, and rolls their eyes more than a few times. It is to Vonnegut’s credit that he manages to makes dark guesses about the future without ever losing the ability to hold fast hope and laugh.

   Reply

3. Hilarious and Thoughtful
   Player Piano is set in a futuristic America where a supercomputer slots human beings into jobs on the basis of one criterion: IQ. It is written both as a satire of modern knowledge economies and as an exhortation to future engineers and leaders that they be certain to always preserve the inherent rights and `humanness’ of humanity even against the boon of technological progression.A man of many talents, author Kurt Vonnegut acquired his love for science fiction and his understanding of the nature of scientific advancement from his undergraduate education studying undergraduate chemistry and mechanical engineering as well as from his time working at General Electric. His social commentary on religion is founded on his experiences in the Unitarian church and his military insight is derived from his experiences fighting in WWII. Furthermore, it is no secret that Vonnegut was a secular humanist, meaning that he holds to, as the American Humanist Association defines it, “a naturalistic philosophy that rejects supernaturalism and relies primarily upon reason and science, democracy and human compassion.” The existential nature of Vonnegut’s philosophical belief system is echoed in his commentary on human happiness and capability.The theme of Player Piano can be summarized as an exhortation from Vonnegut to the reader: “Engineers, think about what technological `progress’ means for humanity. Managers, think about what it is that makes humans `human’ and decide whether or not it is something worth preserving. Make certain that each new technological advancement doesn’t strip humanity of its humanness, because once technological progress happens, it can’t un-happen.” This emphasis on `humanity’ and `humanness’ throughout Player Piano is no doubt born out of his personal belief system. One character reflects on the automated `Player Piano’ across from him in the bar where he stands and says, “makes you feel kind of creepy, don’t it Doctor, watching them keys go up and down? You can almost see a ghost sitting there playing his heart out” (Vonnegut 32). Vonnegut uses this imagery throughout the book to discuss the feeling of unhappiness inherent in human idleness and feelings of unimportance when being replaced. But rather than focus entirely on the dangers of scientific advancement, Vonnegut makes sure to portray the good that technology brings in a positive light. The tension between the good of technology and the bad (reflected in the ending of the book) is masterfully done.Vonnegut captures the essence of a knowledge-based economy in an automated future. His wit and sarcasm are simultaneously light hearted and haunting. This book is a must read not only for Vonnegut fans, but for anyone who enjoys a good, funny-yet thoughtful read. After all, the `value of humanity’ is a universal idea, is it not?

   Reply

4. Thought provoking insights into today’s world from an insightful author
   A superb work by Vonnegut – read this if you are at all concerned about the future of our automated society. And no, I’m neither a conspiracy nut nor a Luddite (although you almost certainly don’t ~really~ understand that term if you are using it as an argumentum ad hominem) Vonnegut takes a hard look from quite some time in the past at the impact of automation on a society and presents a very real, very thought provoking world that should, if you are at all open minded, provide a great deal to mull over. I was amazed that I had missed this book for so many years. If you like Vonnegut this is an excellent read, but even if you do not, it’s very much worth your time.

   Reply

5. Plot – 3, Characters – 3, Theme – 5, Voice – 4, Setting – 3, Overall – 3
   1) Plot (3 stars) – In the near future when the engineers are the elite class and all the people they’ve displaced due to their technology are the lower class, one engineer starts to question the system. It’s a good skeleton for a plot, and I was really rooting for it to go somewhere grand, but unfortunately it seemed to stumble around, exploring random details or subplots and never climaxing in much. It felt like it could have been half the length, and still pack the same mild punch.2) Characters (3 stars) – Paul Proteus is the engineer extraordinaire, a perfectly-fitted cog for the machinery of his society, only he isn’t so sure the machine is worth being a cog in anymore. He has a wife who uses him for his title, and a best friend who goads him closer and closer to the edge to see what’s out there. All in all, a fine cast, but I felt like they could have been more.3) Theme (5 stars) – The automation of society, and what become of the humans left behind, is as relevant today as it was in the 1950s when this book was released. First machines take over the manual jobs, then the repetitive jobs, then finally the thinking jobs. And when that happens, society better have some way for all the billions of humans left with nothing to do to feel purpose, or at least dignity; otherwise we’re going to have a mess. This is going on today, and the solution always seems to be “more jobs, more jobs.” But maybe jobs aren’t the purpose of human life, maybe there’s another way society can be built. Vonnegut doesn’t offer up a blueprint for this other society. I wish he did.4) Voice (4 stars) – To me, when Vonnegut is at the top of his game, he writes some of the most precise, insightful, and funny sentences in literature. Each is so economically crafted; the words so thoughtfully chosen. He also writes some of the sharpest dialogue, full of misunderstanding and innuendo. His writing can be art of the highest order – good for the head, good for the heart, and good for the smile muscles. However, this is an early Vonnegut work. So though the seeds of his brilliance are there, often the refinement and humor is missing.5) Setting (3 stars) -The story takes place in Ilium New York in the near future where the upper engineering elite is separate from the lower “useless” class across the river. Some of the descriptions of the places were clever, but I certainly didn’t feel like I was transported there.6) Overall (3 stars) – Many times when reading this I wanted to recommend it. But in the end, I can’t. There are moments of genius thoughts, but often they are too buried in a meandering plot and unrealized characters.

   Reply

6. Editora de alto nível, a história no entanto não é tão interessante quanto Slaughterhouse-5

   Reply

7. Follows Doctor Paul Proteus as he struggles with the meaning of life in a world where machines have taken over nearly all human work.Took me about a hundred pages to really get into it, but loved it once i did. Compared to his later novels, the earlier parts feel comparatively overwritten. But this is a great ride, with memorable characters and lots to say about human nature. Feels very timely as we race towards technological apocalypse. Highly recommend sweating out the first hundred pages.

   Reply

8. A MUST read for this day and age.

   Reply

9. When the haves and have nots go to war after AI/robots strip the latter of meaningful work. A dystopia for our times

   Reply

10. Excellent

    Reply