3. The Dark Forest

To survive in the dark forest, everyone remains quiet, and hides their position, as any encounter is hostile and a threat to one’s life.

The dark forest - In Dark Forest, the second book of the phenomenal sci-fi trilogy, The Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu introduces the deeply unsettling concept of “dark forest”. To appreciate the meaning behind it, it is important to briefly describe what the series is about. The Three Body Problem series spans an astonishing timeline, with the first chapter of the first book opening amid the Chinese Cultural Revolution in Communist China in 1967, and the last chapter of Death’s End, the last book, closing with the near-death of the universe literally millions of years later. This makes The Dune Series’ 15000-year timeline seem like a joke.  

The first book, The Three Body Problem, introduces us to Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist, who is recruited to work in a secret military operation whose hidden agenda is the search for extraterrestrial life. During her work there, while testing out a theory that she can use microwave cavities in the sun to amplify radio waves, she secretly sends out an interstellar signal. To her surprise eight years later, she is contacted by a pacifist from the alien planet Trisolaris, who warns her against responding to the message from the Trisolarans, as this would give away the Earth’s location. 

Ye's resentment for humanity had grown. As a young woman, she had helplessly watched as her father Ye Zhetai – a theoretical physicist and university teacher – was beaten to death for holding anti-communist beliefs. She herself would be branded a traitor and imprisoned shortly afterwards. Adding salt to injury, she would later find herself stuck in a loveless marriage. Tired of her species and seeing no end to the ongoing cultural war, she ignored the alien pacifist’s counsel, and responded to the message. Soon after, Trisolaris' invasion force set off its 450-year journey to Earth. 

Through the words of Luo Ji, the main character of Dark Forest, Cixin Liu sets out the frightening theory of dark forest. He points out that in the vast and dark universe, the discovery of intelligent life on another planet would inevitably lead to either species taking each other out, regardless of good intentions and moral fibre. Given the following two axioms; that survival is a primary requirement for civilization, and that civilization continuously grows and expands whilst the total matter and resources in the universe remain finite, discovery of an alien civilization poses a threat to survival. The inherent ignorance to the intentions of a newly discovered civilization leaves each civilization with no choice but to annihilate the other upon discovery, before they do the same. Essentially, discovery is death. Maybe Earth has not been contacted by aliens for this very reason. 

To illustrate this, he gives the metaphor of a dark forest – where soldiers are engaged in war and shooting at each other in a forest in the dark night. Imagine, during such a conflict, a soldier flicking on a light. This would lead to bullets flying in their direction with no questions asked. To survive in this dark forest, therefore, everyone remains quiet, and hides their position, as any encounter is hostile and a threat to one’s life.

I could not help but find an equivalent of this theory in the social world, e.g., in social media, in workplace dynamics and office politics, in intimate relationships, in academic environments, in political discourse and public opinion, etc. In any one of these avenues, revealing one’s true self, i.e., genuine thoughts and opinions, dreams, aspirations, weaknesses and insecurities, etc., is equivalent to sparking a light in a dark forest. It leaves one almost completely exposed, handing one’s “self-preservation” on a silver platter to the army behind the shadows—an army whose fingers are itching for a spark. With this information, the one in hiding can take aim and fire, or they can move closer without notice, taking their time to plot and finding creative ways to annihilate the ‘enemy’.

Most of us have logged into one of our social media accounts to find a mean or unpleasant comment waiting to spoil our day. One only has to take a quick scan of the comments section on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, and other social media platforms to get an appreciation of how emotionally scathing some of the comments can be. And who are these unpleasant comments frequently aimed at? To anyone who has revealed themselves either through a post, a picture, a video, etc. Sharing one’s vulnerabilities online and personal details is sparking a light in the dark forest of social media, as it incentivizes people to aim their attention in that direction, welcoming the possibility of a virtually hostile interaction. Public figures and celebrities who open up about their struggles on social media usually have to deal with the onslaught of public scrutiny, which can lead to cyberbullying, from individuals who remain hidden in the dark forest of internet anonymity.  To avoid compromising their positions, some celebrities, including regular citizens, make use of burner accounts, while others choose to remain quiet, logging in and out of social media only to observe and disappearing without a trail.

A survey conducted in 2013 reported that 23% of students in Canada had admitted to having done or said something mean to another person online, and that they had also experienced the same[i]. In South Africa, the rate of cyberbullying is reported to be the highest in the world at 51%, compared to the world average at 37%[ii]. If the rates of actual physical bullying were 51% when a child stepped out of the house, going to school would be illegal in some countries. 

The dark forest can also be seen in the workplace, in academic environments, and in knowledge work. In these areas, innovative ideas, which should ideally be shared openly, can be negatively received by other members, inspiring envy and jealousy. They can be used against an employee for career sabotage, or credit can be taken and given to someone who does not deserve it. For example, in a poll of a 1000 employees, 1 in 5 bosses admitted to stealing their employee’s ideas[iii]. Stealing of ideas is also not as uncommon as it should be in academia[iv]. Numerous anecdotes on having one’s good idea(s) stolen has increased people’s stinginess to openly sharing ideas or talking about their fields of study[v]. As such, some employees and graduate students become less interactive, retreating and concealing a lot of their potential out of sheer self-preservation. In his infamous book, "The 48 Laws of Power", Robert Greene expresses similar sentiments in the first and most crucial law: "Never outshine the master".

The most pervasive application of the dark forest that I have seen is in intimate and romantic relationships. Ideally, romantic relationships should be the safest place to be vulnerable, to express one’s deepest fears and insecurities, and to receive support, understanding, and acceptance for one’s being. Instead, expressing such vulnerability gives ammunition to the partner, who may use this information to manipulate, gaslight, or leverage during future arguments. In today’s dating world, where virtual reality comes with the never-ending possibility of profiles, interpersonal interactions have become moribund. Since everyone is seemingly talking to everyone, trust has become an even rarer commodity. Being vulnerable is sparking a light in the dark forest. The result is a dark forest with only one spark of light. Or, worse, each person is waiting for a spark that might never come.

What makes the concept of dark forest frightening is that it is intuitive, pragmatic, wise, and can be justified. However, it is a pathway to cynicism. A good author said that cynicism is the beginning of wisdom. “Better to be cynical than naïve”, he said. However, remaining a cynic can be dangerous and self-limiting. Cynicism should be a pathway to wisdom, not the destination. Otherwise, we run the risk of a permanent dark forest, where everyone waits in perpetuity for a light to flick on. As we wait, time slowly robs us of our energy, youthfulness, and readiness for engagement. And Mother Nature calcifies our representation of the world, making it difficult for us to adopt new ways of thinking and to adapt in environments where the forest may not be so dark.

At some point, one must flick on the light. If cooperation and self-exploration are to be possible, a certain level of faith and bravery in finding someone good in the shadows—something good—is needed. To the pragmatic, bravery is glorified stupidity. But, as some know, a little chaos is needed to birth a civilization. Who among us is brave enough to risk their position? You should be. You have little choice but to do so, or forever die in the shadows. Every rule has an exception, and it might just be you. 

Until next time, Blogger’s Musings, adding value, one essay at a time. 

Footnotes: 

[i] “Cyberbullying: Dealing with Online Meanness, Cruelty, and Threats.” MediaSmarts. Accessed July 30, 2019, http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/pdfs/publication-report/summary/YCWWIII_Cyberbullying_ExecutiveSummary.pdf. 

[ii] https://www.masiphephe.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/3.-Thematic-paper-cyber-bullying-in-SA_FINAL.pdf

[iii] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/1-in-5-bosses-regularly-steal-ideas-of-their-employees-and-they-all-admit-they-ve-done-it-at-least-once-10195634.html

[iv] “The interpersonal consequences of stealing ideas: Worse character judgments and less co-worker support for an idea (vs. money) thief.” https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104165

[v] “Having your research ideas stolen.” doi: 10.1136/bmj.317.7162.857

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