The process by which individuals or a governing body can influence others on a particular or range of topics, usually with the aim of generating consensus in order to pursue a strategy or plan.
23
votes
1answer
695 views
Short story in which candidates for political office act as deities to tiny, synthetic creatures
I'm looking for a short story, probably from the mid '60s to mid '70s, in which two candidates, possibly senators running for president, undergo a public test of how well they perform as leaders by ...
2
votes
2answers
339 views
Did less idealistic, more realistic themes enter the Star Trek franchise before Deep Space Nine?
Even today, Star Trek is generally perceived as an optimistic, idealistic show, even though this perception is too simplistic. When did more realistic ideas enter on a regular basis? Only with DS9 or ...
3
votes
1answer
140 views
Short story; citizens allotted votes based on education, military service, etc
I am trying to find a short story (1970's or earlier) with a society where people all get one vote at birth but can accumulate additional votes based on education, military service, and other positive ...
14
votes
1answer
133 views
Is there a summary/map somewhere of the geo-political breakdown of the world in Heinlein's Friday
I'm reading Robert Heinlein's Friday and having a little bit of trouble keeping all the geo-political breakdowns clear in my head, especially the North American ones. Is there a list or a map ...
2
votes
0answers
49 views
What motivated the Green headbands to genocide the Malay Chinese?
In Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl the Green headbands, a fundamentalist Islamic movement in the 23rd century, genocide the native Malay-Chinese people causing the main Character Hock Seng to lose his ...
7
votes
3answers
1k views
Did Heinlein advocate the apparently militaristic, if not fascist society of Starship Troopers?
In the classic 1959 Sci-Fi novel Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein lays out a view of the future where only the military is allowed full citizenship and suffrage. He presents democracy as ...
12
votes
2answers
251 views
Is Political sci-fi a recognised genre?
Most of the sci-fi (and much fantasy) that I enjoy reading is heavily laden with political concepts - power struggles, revolution, exploration of alternative political systems. For example, Kim ...
1
vote
0answers
42 views
How does the command structure of the Machines work? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What kind of a political hierarchy do the machines in The Matrix have?
While discussing why the Sentinels in The Matrix: Revolutions would participate in a suicide ...
8
votes
2answers
207 views
Plutonium in currency?
Trying to think of where I read this - there was a society that put actual plutonium in the coinage, as a means to encourage people not to be too greedy; if one hoarded too many coins, they'd go ...
7
votes
1answer
229 views
Was the Emperor himself xenophobic? Or was that merely a political point?
It's well know that Empire was xenophobic and "human-firster" in general (I can provide relevant Wikia links if someone has doubts).
But did there exist Emperor Palpatine's (or rather Darth Sidious') ...
11
votes
2answers
246 views
What are the goals of the Jedi?
Are the goals of the Jedi ever clearly defined? From what I understood from the movies, they are dual -
To fight against the Dark Side.
To support the Senate.
However, these goals can be ...
3
votes
1answer
404 views
Does John Ringo actually endorse the political views expressed in Troy Rising?
I recently read John Ringo's military sci-fi series, Troy Rising, and some of the political views expressed by characters were ... surprising to put it politely. Some of these include:
Well, even if ...
6
votes
3answers
273 views
Sword of Truth: Gradual style shift?
I really enjoyed the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. One of the things that I found somewhat fascinating about it is that there seems to be a gradual shift as you read the books from a ...
26
votes
2answers
421 views
Was there an explicit catalyst event(s) that served as impetus for the creation of the Prime Directive?
Was there ever a mention of what specifically was the catalyst for the creation of Prime Directive?
In other words, was the Directive merely a theoretical "this is the rules we want to live by" ...
