4 ms·

I see it now, Google is an embryonic stage of The Culture [0]. 0: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture

arethuza 13y ago
"in practice social convention among the Minds prohibits them from watching, or interfering in, citizens' lives unless requested, or unless they perceive severe risk" One of the cute things about the Culture is how damned nice the Minds are - even when they are effectively gods to their meat friends/pets/therapists.
- cpeterso 13y ago
  > One of the cute things about the Culture is how damned nice the Minds are Were the Minds (originally) designed to be "nice"? Or have they evolved to be nice because that is an effective way to influence humans? (I've only read one Culture book.)
Roboprog 13y ago
I always get a chuckle out of the very idea of "post scarcity". Like there won't be some guy who wants to shovel an entire solar system (or two) into his replicator to make a really cool Dyson yacht, or yacht fleet. Or just flat out enjoys going "Dark Phoenix" and destroying a few stars like shooting cans for target practice. Humans will never have all they want, even though we have enough for subsistance. Only a few would be happy to spend a few years rummaging around in the library between meals.
- gutnor 13y ago
  It is heavily alluded in the novel that culture citizen have been genetically engineered somewhat to smooth their personality. Except for extreme shyness, they would seem like charismatic well balanced individual (source wikipedia I think). Even the language they speak has been engineered. So in culture world, nobody would be deviant enough to want to do those things. It is a bit like star trek, there must have been a few dark ages (they must have had eugenism gone wrong at some point) before reaching the fully evolved post scarcity society that is the Culture.
  - Roboprog 13y ago
    Interesting, have to read some of it some time. I liked Vernor Vinge's Fire Upon the Deep and Charles Stross' Singularity Sky. In those, there is a spectrum of of societal levels from Beyond/Escaton to "Zombies"/Unthinking Depths, allowing comparison between levels.

arethuza 13y ago

"in practice social convention among the Minds prohibits them from watching, or interfering in, citizens' lives unless requested, or unless they perceive severe risk" One of the cute things about the Culture is how damned nice the Minds are - even when they are effectively gods to their meat friends/pets/therapists.

cpeterso 13y ago
> One of the cute things about the Culture is how damned nice the Minds are Were the Minds (originally) designed to be "nice"? Or have they evolved to be nice because that is an effective way to influence humans? (I've only read one Culture book.)

Roboprog 13y ago

I always get a chuckle out of the very idea of "post scarcity". Like there won't be some guy who wants to shovel an entire solar system (or two) into his replicator to make a really cool Dyson yacht, or yacht fleet. Or just flat out enjoys going "Dark Phoenix" and destroying a few stars like shooting cans for target practice. Humans will never have all they want, even though we have enough for subsistance. Only a few would be happy to spend a few years rummaging around in the library between meals.

gutnor 13y ago
It is heavily alluded in the novel that culture citizen have been genetically engineered somewhat to smooth their personality. Except for extreme shyness, they would seem like charismatic well balanced individual (source wikipedia I think). Even the language they speak has been engineered. So in culture world, nobody would be deviant enough to want to do those things. It is a bit like star trek, there must have been a few dark ages (they must have had eugenism gone wrong at some point) before reaching the fully evolved post scarcity society that is the Culture.
- Roboprog 13y ago
  Interesting, have to read some of it some time. I liked Vernor Vinge's Fire Upon the Deep and Charles Stross' Singularity Sky. In those, there is a spectrum of of societal levels from Beyond/Escaton to "Zombies"/Unthinking Depths, allowing comparison between levels.