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> What the books add to all this theorizing is that they're wildly entertaining. Or, in my case, mildly entertaining. It felt like a lot of leftist proselytizi
by trelane 3y ago
> What the books add to all this theorizing is that they're wildly entertaining.
Or, in my case, mildly entertaining. It felt like a lot of leftist proselytizing, or more likely preaching to the choir.
The humor fell flat, I guess. I didn't find it engaging.
As to "Why the Culture wins," it's because it portrays a worldview that the author wishes to advocate for, or at least not criticize. No more, no less.
- KingMob 3y ago> It felt like a lot of leftist proselytizing What do you imagine a true post-scarcity society would look like, instead?
- trelane 3y agoA Brave New World springs to mind.
- pixl97 3y agoAnd I'm sure you believe yourself to be part of the ruling class in this new world.
- KingMob 3y agoI personally think that Brave New World isn't wealthy, or technically advanced, enough to be post-scarcity. But it's an interesting tangent. I think a better dystopian depiction would be in Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky, where Pham Nuwen (iirc) describes encountering a technologically inferior planet, where surveillance and automation tech were sufficient for a sole dictator to effectively rule over all. Only the superior tech of Nuwen's starship breaks the dictator's hold.