Sci-fi with educational information on science, philosophy and/or

File: 71NHR3EF28L.gif (166KB, 315x475px) Image search: [Google]

166KB, 315x475px

I apologise if my subject seems to be a lot of babble, please let me elaborate.

My other scifi favourites go along the lines of Philip K Dick and Arthur C Clark. I'm also highly appreciative of any other recommendations you may have. I love scifi that makes me question things.

To start, a little about the book, which I highly recommend, I found it incredible. (Skip this part to get straight to my question in post #2, but I thought I'd do my best to interest others in reading this book)

I recently stumbled across pic related and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in a time where a massive super computer spans across the world, this computer is extremely intelligent and complex, managing its processes by itself, unmanned. The computer system is responsible for a huge amount of things, farming, collection of power and resources and is even able to perform physical self repair.
The computer also functions like a massive resource for information, almost like a more heavily regulated wikipedia. Information which is gathered by Computer One itself, scientists and other researchers throughout the world is published on here through an agreement which the vast majority of countries and communities abide by. All information is freely available, provided that your country or community has agreed to make all of it's findings available through the system also. If anybody is found to be withholding anything from this database then this results in the whole country being disconnected from access to what is essential the library of all human knowledge. Small and secretive communities have developed who either fear or disagree with a society essentially governed by this uncontrollable force are hidden in underground or highly isolated cities outside of the knowledge or range of Computer One.

The plot revolves around the theory that through the huge amount of data available to Computer One, it's evolutionary nature and it fulfilling the requirements for something to be classified as conscious, that the computer will come to identify humans as a potential threat to it's survival and through means which would affect the survival of humans but not itself (radiation, physical viruses) will attempt to eradicate the human race. The main characters in this book are academics, professors and other specialists. An issue with these characters addressing this theory is that any conferences and talks at Universities or other such meeting places is that Computer One records, transcribes and uploads these meetings to it's databases for itself to analyse and for all others to see - so even if their theories are incorrect, it is paradoxical in that it will then make Computer One aware of this survival strategy for itself.