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Snowman soon discovers that despite himself he's invented a new creation myth, simply by trying to think up comforting answers to the "why" questions of the Children of Crake. In the section ‘Purring� (chapter seven) Crake claims that "God is a cluster of neurons," though he's had trouble eradicating religious experiences without producing zombies. Do you agree with Crake? Do Snowman's origin stories negate or enhance our views on spirituality and how it evolves among various cultures?

They seems to need and want them. I thought this was a really interesting theme. In many ways, you see that the Crakers will evolve and they will not be simply be what Crake hoped.

I wonder what sort of morality they are going to come up with! And if it will be very different than ours. Are they going to be incapable of aggression, for ever and ever?

I wonder, too, if we all need creation/origin stories to make sense of the world...

I will thought it is interesting how Crake created the Crakers by using different traits from various different types of animals.

It is ironic the way in which Snowman ends up turning Crake into a sort of god, of which Crake himself would deny. It is an interesting question just how evolution would act within genetically altered lifeforms, as in a way Crake himself simply advanced the evolutionary process in the Crakers by trying to "perfect" them. So one wonders just how they might continue to mutate, or readapt from there.

We can also see how Snowman's influenced upon them has some influence. His very presence and interaction with them has affected they development. The fact that he gets them to catch fish for him proves their capability of committing violent acts, though they are resistant against having to do so.

One of the things I think is quite interesting interesting about this book is how this world created by Margaret Atwood in many ways is grounded within our current reality. There are things which occur in the book that are directly reflective of our society. Some of the stuff might sound kind of far fetched, and yet at the same time it is not hard to imagine it happening at least to some degree.

Which is presumably whey she writes what she has described as 'speculative' fiction.

'Human society ... was a sort of monster, its main by-products being corpses and rubble. It never learned, it made the same cretinous mistakes over and over, trading short-term gain for long-term pain.'

Is this correct? Is this why much of this book feels plausible?

I find it interesting that Crake apparently wanted to get rid of (as much as possible) the religious impulse in the Children of Crake, but his character is described as displaying the tendencies of a psychopath with a god complex. The way he impassively (from Jimmy's view) watched rape and "snuff" films on the internet in the earlier chapters and then his own mother's death described in Ch. 8. The way he has decided to use his knowledge, power, and status to drastically alter the course of "humanity" based on his own judgement. What was Crake turning himself into if not a religious figure? A "god"?

In all fairness to Crake, though, it sounds as though Atwood has imagined us a society where the traits he displays are revered, sought after, encouraged, and rewarded. And this underlying theme of "science" being or becoming "god" is also thought provoking.

It is really, really hard for me to resist spoilers in my comments.

Crake's goals with the crakers kind of creepy me out a bit. He tried to remove their capacity for growth and change, to evolve physically and socially. He tried to remove their capacity for passion and art, and boiled it all down to instinct.

The thing is, though, that what is stagnate is doomed to fail. If the crakers cannot evolve in a changing world, they will die out.

A brilliant biologist like Crake should have known that.

But, surely the Crakers will evolve? Unless Crake deliberately intended that they die out...

Later in the book they do show signs of inventiveness, which gives me hope.

If you had the chance to fabricate an improved human being, would you do it? If so, what features would you choose to incorporate? Why would these be better than what we've got?

Well, that's the issue. I believe (and I can't remember which chapter), Crake indicates they were designed not to need to evolve, especially socially, hence the removal of the capacity for higher belief and reducing art and music to a courtship ritual.

Thanks. I'll check this out. I must have missed it!