Gonzales 1

Joe Gonzales

Professor Heim

Writing 39B

MWF 4-4:50 pm

Universal Cranium Complex

Science fiction is often associated with futuristic utopias in which humanity engages

within a conflict where their survival is at stake. Yet, the reality is that the genre covers much

deeper topics regarding “mankind and his status in the universe… [especially within a] confused

state of knowledge” (Anders). The human mind and the way it functions is a very complex

function that is still undergoing research to this day. One of the more recent topics of interest

regarding the human mind is the concept of human enhancement: the use of substance to

enhance the brain process time, efficiency, and capabilities. Yet, the use of human test subjects,

usually acquired without their consent, to expand the human mind illustrates man’s

unquenchable desire to obtain unlimited knowledge. The main character Leon of Ted Chiang’s

short story, Understand, highlights this desire as a human flaw. After being prescribed an

experimental drug called Hormone K to help heal recently endured brain damage, the side effects

end up transforming Leon into a superhuman. While avoiding the authorities hunting him down,

Leon’s primary goal is to constantly improve his cognitive abilities and constantly generate new

understandings of his environment; allowing the desire for knowledge to become an obsession.

This flaw is not only present within Leon, but also the readers themselves within modern society,

illustrating the prominence of this human flaw in today’s age. The chaotic atmosphere and action

driven plot line Chiang creates throughout Understand advocates the human flaw of lust for
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infinite knowledge is mankind’s ultimate downfall from reaching full contentedness, convincing

that not every detail can be comprehended in an environment which controls our fates.

The sense of disorder and rushed plot from Chiang’s writing style highlights Leon’s

obsession for more knowledge as the human flaw that leads to his inevitable demise. After Leon

escapes the hospital he was stationed at, he describes his need to discover the answers behind

Hormone K as wanting “to find them, and comprehend them…. [wanting it] more than anything

[he has] ever wanted before” (Chiang 39). The sense of urgency to find more information

regarding the hormone shows the transformation of the search for answers into an unhealthy

obsession. This behavior generates a sense of disorder that starts to create inner conflict.

Chiang’s decision to have a lack details to Leon’s and Hormone K’s origin concludes this

obsession for knowledge is a human flaw, as traits that all of mankind shares is very difficult to

explain in detail. Ironically, when he found information he has been searching for, Leon

expected to be “enlightened [since it] must be euphoric to experience” (Chiang 59). Leon

believing obtaining infinite knowledge would be “euphoric”, experiencing intense happiness,

shows he does witness his journey as an unhealthy obsession yet, just as many do not realize

certain habits originate from their human flaws until it is too late. However, the use of such an

extreme diction continues to supplement the sense of disorder which foreshadows Leon’s fate. In

fact, Leon discovered the hard way that the reality of obtaining infinite knowledge resulted in

being “overwhelmed by all this input, paralyzed with awareness of my self” (Chiang 54). Leon

being “paralyzed” by obtaining the knowledge he’s desperately been searching for highlights the

desire for infinite knowledge prevents one from reaching true contentedness. Throughout the

entire story, Leon constantly jumps between conflicts, suggesting he is never content with his

discoveries. Never obtaining a sense of peace caused him to push himself to far to the point
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where the amount of knowledge ultimately caused Leon to “dissolve” (Chiang 70). Yet, the need

to know more resulting in dissatisfaction extends from Leon to the reader themselves.

Paralleling Leon’s motives, the expectations and critiques of science fiction readers

reinforces that desire for more prevents one from reaching full contentedness. Though many

people enjoyed the themes Chiang incorporated, one reader commented that the plot line “was

missing elements that made it a complete story” (Goodreads). Just as Leon desperately wanted

answers, fans of science fiction exhibit the same human flaw by critiquing Chiang’s lack of

detail. Most would expect an action, packed thriller in which every character and their motives

were completely explained, but Chiang only included the bare minimum to focus more on

Leon’s journey and character development. As a result, focusing more upon the lack of details is

causing dissatisfaction in a genre the audience generally enjoy. Additionally, another reader

critiqued about the “distinct lack of plausibility with regards to the non-POV characters’

motivation and actions” (Goodreads). Similar to the previous comment, emphasizing on

Chiang’s lack of detail blinds the reader of primary message, which is ironically being illustrated

by the reader’s critique. The human flaw of wanting to know more is prevalent among modern

society, attempting to make the readers self-reflect. Yet, the reality is that Chiang’s message

extends even further from his audience.

In regard to modern day institutions, the quest for infinite knowledge is clearly present

yet the consequences are much direr than just experiencing full contentedness. Many

professionals from the scientific community would argue that human enhancement is necessary

since it can transform any average person into “an ideal one or even a perfect one, as one wishes

to enhance towards her ideal self” (Roduit). Yet, the aspect that is often ignored is how branches

such as the military or CIA intend on using such technology. Leon is merely one example of how
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super humans are aimed to be used within foreign affairs or warfare. Unfortunately, the reality is

that the Department of Defense have stated “cutting-edge technologies [will] make U.S. troops

faster, smarter and more resilient than their normal selves” (Harper). The quest for infinite

knowledge to make humans more superior is only going to lead to more violence, slowly

progressing to the end of our existence. The more human kind obsesses over expanding our

knowledge, the more “tremendous operational advantages” will be developed (Harper). This

illustrates how relevant Chiang’s message in the modern-day world, advocating readers to self-

reflect and acknowledge the danger human enhancement truly poses. By playing with the scheme

of the human mind, people are playing with forces that cannot be comprehended and people must

learn to be content with that.

Concluding paragraph and works cited page will be included in the Final Draft 
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Works Cited

Anders, Charlie Jane. “How many definitions of science fiction are there?” io9, io9.Gizmodo.co,

27 Aug. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2018

Chiang, Ted. Story of Your Life. Macmillan Publisher, New York, 2002. Text.

Harper, Jon. "How Technology Could Create 'Super Soldiers'." National Defense, 2016.

EBSCOhost. Web. 4 Feb. 2018.

Roduit, Johann A R, et al. "Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human Enhancement."

Bioethics, vol. 29, no. 9, Nov. 2015, pp. 622-630. EBSCOhost. Web. 14 Feb. 2018

“Understand”. Goodreads, Goodreads Inc., 3 Oct. 2010. Web. 4 Feb. 2018.