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The culture does not forcefully assimilate however, and they add the cultural proclivities of any new member as opposed to breaking it down into its elements to
by datameta 3y ago
The culture does not forcefully assimilate however, and they add the cultural proclivities of any new member as opposed to breaking it down into its elements to be absorbed and reconstructed.
- ianburrell 3y agoAlso, the Culture is not a hive mind. All the people and Minds are individuals. They could form a hive mind, but wouldn't because then they would ascend. Culture exists by not ascending.
- datameta 3y agoRight, and the books mention how the Culture is a bit long in the tooth to Sublime, seeing other younger civs speed-run toward this extradimensional afterlife.
- d1sxeyes 3y agoThe article covers this. It highlights how Contact is specifically tasked with shaping and forming the development of other species over millenia to 'assimilate' them. By the time a species is ready to be 'assimilated', no force is needed.
- datameta 3y agoHmm, good point! However, I would argue that such nudges are toward overall peace with a neighbor, rather than total civilation subjugation like with the Borg.
- d1sxeyes 3y agoThat is a fair argument if you consider the Culture to be a collection of civilisations living in harmony, but if the Culture is rather a single entity which supplants the existing civilisation and gradually replaces all of the unique features of the existing civilisation, is it still fairly classifiable as “peace with a neighbour”? It’s a tough question and I don’t profess to know the answer, but for me I think I would argue that you can no longer call them a “neighbour” if they’re no longer separately identifiable as “not the Culture”.