THE CULTURE: ESSAY 1 | A Few Notes on the Culture

Both here and in the story "State of the Art", Banks is explicit about his fictional Culture universe whereas the novels typically are implicit at best. "A Few Notes on the Culture" begins with a very broad consideration of space-faring civilisations and the Culture's place among them, and hones in on more specific considerations such as standard genetic augmentation for Culture citizens and the technology underpinning Culture ships and AI.

The essay clarifies Banks considers the Culture to be a non-exploitative civilisation, both toward sentient biological and AI minds, is self-consciously and deliberately non-exploitative, and so Contact and Special Circumstances are attempts at addressing specific situations in a manner consistent with that status (though perhaps unsuccessfully).

Key axioms

● Culture one of a "few dozen major space-faring civilisations" and that its anarchic nature is to some degree inevitable for any land-bound species. That is, land-based civilisations are basically 2D, while space forces 3D thinking onto that civilisation and things will change. (Banks acknowledges that aquatic or avian life-forms won't start from the same premises, but says no more about that.)

● Genetic manipulation outlined: glanding, etc from human basic gene inheritance. Not immortal (as in my review of "The State of the Art"), but 300-400 year life spans. Immortality is an option but, in effect, seen as gauche.

● GSV [class ships] serve as hologram shards of the Culture: the GSV knows everything Culture knows, represents in full the Culture. It explores, and is "run" by Contact; humans on a GSV are (viewed wide-screen) serving purpose of that mission, though it's a bit like living on a planet that visits different star systems. I imagine many humans never bother with that mission in any direct, specific way. At all events, most Culture citizens reside on Orbitals or travel on cruisers, not GSVs; orbitals are "more efficient" than planets in terms of matter needed.

● Culture humans driven by a desire to matter ("feel useful"), and Culture Minds driven by a desire to experience. ( )