andrewducker: (Default)
[personal profile] andrewducker
"The Culture" in this case refers to the space-faring civilisation in Iain Banks' awesome series of novels.

[Poll #1792224]

Date: 2011-11-03 01:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bart-calendar.livejournal.com
Oops!

With "The Culture" I thought you meant the current culture we are living in today.

Date: 2011-11-03 01:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bart-calendar.livejournal.com
Thank you!

I figured a serious poll like this could use a bit of sarcasm.

Date: 2011-11-03 03:03 pm (UTC)

Date: 2011-11-03 01:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] andrewhickey.livejournal.com
For The Culture, I do know what you're talking about, but have not yet got round to any of Banks' M books, though I probably should (they've always struck me as a little space-opera-y for my tastes).

Date: 2011-11-03 02:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] philmophlegm.livejournal.com
They're on my to-read list. I know Banks is on record as saying that he sees it as a utopia, but then his politics and social attitudes are probably rather different to mine. I'll reserve judgment until I've read at least one.

Date: 2011-11-03 04:18 pm (UTC)
ext_58972: Mad! (Default)
From: [identity profile] autopope.livejournal.com
No; for the utopian angle, I'd recommend "Look to Windward" or "The State of the Art".

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From: [identity profile] cybik.livejournal.com - Date: 2011-11-03 07:01 pm (UTC) - Expand

Date: 2011-11-03 01:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com
I once had a conversation with someone who though the Culture was a dystopia. It seemed a rather baffling point of view.

Date: 2011-11-03 02:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] danieldwilliam.livejournal.com
Also if you don’t believe in the collective or in weak property rights it might seem pretty bad.

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Date: 2011-11-03 02:33 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com
Well it's just like religion, isn't it? Playthings of an omnipotent being.

I think on of their points was rather the opposite: that drones are basically slaves.

Date: 2011-11-03 03:06 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] daveon.livejournal.com
This. Well, this doesn't exactly fill me with horror, but the proponents of the culture as Utopia view do need to remember who is pulling the strings and that life is damn good providing a Mind doesn't decide you're useful for something or in the way.

In that regard if you're happy in your class in Brave New World, that's Utopia too.

Date: 2011-11-03 06:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] octopoid-horror.livejournal.com
I wouldn't say that I see the Culture as a dystopia, but I certainly can't understand the appeal (of the Culture as a society, or of the books in general)

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Date: 2011-11-03 02:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nmg.livejournal.com
I'd just like to note that I wish I'd thought of [livejournal.com profile] drplokta's answer to 'favourite utopian novel'.

Date: 2011-11-03 03:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nancylebov.livejournal.com
I'm not a fan of Banks for no obvious reason-- he strikes me as a competent commercial author, but I just don't get interested.

However, I can see being dubious about being a pet-- look at some of the things people do to pets. The culture might be modifying people in ways too subtle for people to see, just as dogs and cats presumably don't know know anything about the development of pure breds, something which isn't actually good for a lot of animals.

I'd still choose the Culture over a lot of sfnal world-- I like comfort.

My favorite Utopia isn't a novel, it's "And then There Were None--" by Eric Frank Russell. _To Marry Medusa_ by Sturgeon shows some promise in theory, but I wonder about the gender dynamics.

Date: 2011-11-03 04:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] princealbert.livejournal.com
Iain Banks has never published a Culture story.

Date: 2011-11-03 04:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] a-pawson.livejournal.com
LOL - well spotted.

Date: 2011-11-03 09:24 pm (UTC)
ext_28681: (Default)
From: [identity profile] akirlu.livejournal.com
Why, are they written under his confusingly similar pseudonym?

Date: 2011-11-04 09:33 pm (UTC)
ext_58972: Mad! (Default)
From: [identity profile] autopope.livejournal.com
Marketing.

He had a promising mainstream career as "Iain Banks". Then he handed in "Consider Phlebas". Orbit editorial/marketing said, "would you mind using a pseudonym?" To which, Iain said, "sure -- sell it as Iain M. Banks".

And that was that.

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Date: 2011-11-03 07:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dalglir.livejournal.com
Interesting answers. May have to re-read Look to Windward.

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