Extremism is dangerous in general, and dangerous to the human race in particular

Extremism is dangerous in general, and dangerous to the human race in particular in Cixin Liu’s novel “The Three-Body Problem.” Extremism – essentially an attitude of fanatical devotion to a cause, person, place, idea, etc. – is rampant throughout Liu’s novel. Various forms of extremism exist, including extremism against extremism – and all ultimately prove dangerous not only in general, but to the human race in particular.

When the novel begins, the reader is introduced to the brutality of the Chinese Communist Cultural Revolution of the mid-to-late 1960s. Factions with the Communist movement sought to demonstrate that they were the most radical and loyal to the Communist cause, and were quick to harm, torture, imprison, and kill others who showed even the slightest symptoms of anything other than radicalism. Ye Wenjie firsthand sees her mother...