62
votes
Accepted
Why not continue to prevent murders?
There are several intertwined issues here.
Human rights of the Pre-Cogs
The Pre-Crime system depends in a crucial way on the constant participation of the Pre-Cogs, held in a (not necessarily ...
- 111k
58
votes
Accepted
Why "In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures"?
The tripod is truly the weakest political structure
The balance of power in a political tripod is only stable as long as everyone wants to win and all players would rather prefer the status quo to a ...
- 1,033
58
votes
Accepted
Is there any evidence that Voldemort was a nationalist?
Voldemort's nationalism does not necessitate a connection to the UK.
The term nation is often used as a shorthand for nation state. However, in itself it does not necessarily imply a shared ...
- 13.3k
41
votes
Why "In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures"?
You actually have the answer in your question. Three legs together are very stable, yes, and two sides will act to balance out the third. In Dune, there are three groupings that keep one side from ...
- 4,186
39
votes
Why didn't Voldemort use the Ministry to rise to power and instead chose to become a criminal?
Hitler's power derived from his ability to sway and inspire masses of people, which is legitimized through political office. Without his particular rhetorical skills and the discontented populace ...
- 25.7k
31
votes
Who declared the Last Alliance to be the "last" and why?
Elendil and Gil-galad named it as such. Had they not defeated Sauron, they would literally have been the last alliance.
The Last Alliance of Elves and Men was indeed so great that it is noted to be ...
- 26.2k
30
votes
Accepted
Where do the regions of Westeros appear to align as of the season 6 finale?
The following is the political alignment of the regions in current timeline:
The North
Currently held by Starks who are opposed ...
- 48.3k
30
votes
If Dumbledore could take on Grindelwald, why didn't he take on Hitler?
Killing Hitler won't end World War II. There's way too many factors fueling World War II, and remember, up until about half way through, it looked very much like Nazi Germany was going to win big.
...
- 8,222
28
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Voldemort use the Ministry to rise to power and instead chose to become a criminal?
Tom Riddle wanted to bury his past. He couldn't do that in politics.
Riddle is a pure-blood supremacist, and hates his family:
He detests the Muggle family who gave him his name (and later tracks ...
- 102k
27
votes
Accepted
Author of 60s/70s sci-fi novel called Sphere, about a clear personal transport device made from Martian technology
It's Shield, not Sphere. The author is Poul Anderson.
The cover image you describe brought it back immediately.
Just in case there is more than one book with a "Cover illustration [that] showed ...
- 50.3k
26
votes
Does Kai Winn drink her own Kool-Aid? Is she delusional or merely duplicitous?
Why not both?
Winn is consciously designed as an enigmatic character, so it's difficult to get a read on exactly what she's really thinking. Watching the show, my impression was that she genuinely ...
- 163k
25
votes
Why "In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures"?
It is just an historical reference.
The most famous triumvirates are those of Rome (up to the point that you name them "First Triumvirate" and "Second Triumvirate", and everybody understands what are ...
- 5,106
22
votes
Accepted
Short story about elections being determined by one vote
"Franchise" by Isaac Asimov, previously identified as the answer to this old question. (It was also posted as an answer, though not the accepted answer, to this other question.) From ...
- 159k
21
votes
If Dumbledore could take on Grindelwald, why didn't he take on Hitler?
Because of the International Statute of Secrecy.
Leaving aside the history of World War 2, intervention in Muggle affairs is strictly off-limits. The Statute of Secrecy forbade any disclosure of ...
- 61.7k
19
votes
Accepted
Under which kingdom are the Iron Islands?
The Iron Islands were a part of the Kingdom of Isles and Rivers. Before the Targeryen invasion, House Hoare ruled over the Iron Islands and the Riverlands.
House Hoare was the Royal House of the ...
- 2,381
18
votes
Accepted
Short story in which social scientist writes constitution of sewing circle to win a bar bet, ends up fearing for his life
This is "The Snowball Effect" by Katherine Maclean (1952).
A sociology professor, challenged to prove his theories of the dynamic
growth of organizations, rewrites the rules of a smalltown ...
- 677k
18
votes
Why didn't Voldemort use the Ministry to rise to power and instead chose to become a criminal?
Getting a Ministry job would've opened Voldemort to public scrutiny, something that could've easily sabotaged his schemes. Remember that while prejudice against Muggles isn't certainly rare in the ...
- 2,273
14
votes
Under which kingdom are the Iron Islands?
The Seven Kingdoms confusion
Seven Kingdoms were the political entities which existed at time of Aegon's landing on shores of Blackwater Bay. Number of these political entities has always varied from ...
- 48.3k
14
votes
Who declared the Last Alliance to be the "last" and why?
The trend throughout the Second Age clearly showed the decline of the Eldar (mainly the Noldor) and the rise of Men. Indeed, Gil-galad recognized this early on, in a letter to Tar-Meneldur in S.A. ...
- 3,746
13
votes
What political system does Star Trek's Federation operate under?
The other answers don't address the basic question of whether the Federation is a democracy, so I just wanted to point out that in the TOS episode "Errand of Mercy", we do get confirmation that it is, ...
- 56.5k
13
votes
Why "In politics, the tripod is the most unstable of all structures"?
I think maybe I misunderstood the quote.
The structure itself is stable and self-reinforcing, as the question argues, but it's rather the shifting alliances that is unstable.
As previously mentioned,...
- 5,101
12
votes
Accepted
What happens if Tommen dies?
If Tommen and Margaery both die, Stannis is the next in line for the throne (assuming he's also alive). If Stannis is also dead, then the answer depends on which medium you're talking about, (in the ...
- 103k
11
votes
Accepted
Has Steve Rogers ever explicitly endorsed or supported a political party, politician or candidate?
I used to be a regular reader of "Captain America" comic books, but not for many years now. So my information may be out of date . . . but in at least one story in my collection, published in the late ...
- 26.8k
10
votes
Accepted
Why did Lords of Vale swear allegiance to a Northman?
Just because the Knights of the Vale chanted "King in the North" doesn't mean that they are submitting to his rule. They might simply be recognising him as literally King of the North (and ...
- 556
10
votes
Short Story about Candidates for president. They are connected to a "God Game" - electric shocks for interventionism
This sounds almost like "The Short Ones" by Raymond E. Banks, told from the point of view of the artificial life forms, the "Short Ones", that tech designers on Earth created.
The ...
- 3,424
9
votes
If Queen Amidala had signed the treaty, would the Republic Senate recognize it as legitimate?
It likely would have been seen as smelly by honest people (like Bail Organa and the Jedi), but, without clear evidence it was coerced, it would have had to be accepted as legal
Witnesses can be ...
- 51.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Paul Maud'Dib marry Chani Kynes?
Political reasons
Irulan is the sole * heir of ruling House Corrino and prior to the events of "Dune" Leto Atreides was gaining popularity with Landsraad (something like a council of the noble ...
- 29.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Looking for a science fiction omnibus where one of the stories had mock combat games for political purposes
You should look for When the People Fell and We the Underpeople, both published by Baen Books around 2007. This is the complete Cordwainer Smith corpus, and will contain both stories that you've ...
- 7,765
8
votes
Where do the regions of Westeros appear to align as of the season 6 finale?
At the end of Season 6, there are 4 kings/queens that the regions of Westeros are rallying behind.
The King in the North - Jon Snow
The North (as seen when Lyanna Mormont, et. al. declared Jon the ...
- 2,381
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible