myrmepropagandist
Reading "A Deepness in the Sky" by Vernor Vinge. It's pretty good, but is a little over excited about the magical power of markets and trade. (He gets a little preachy on this point and it's tiresome, without ever being so wrong that I felt the need to put it down.)
Like Asimov, Vinge seems to subscribe to the notion that a science like psychohistory ought to be possible. He shows us humans thousands of years in the future with choices informed by thousands of years of human history.
myrmepropagandist
Why is a big city with lots of open markets connecting people around the world a good bet for a safe place to live for your controversial artist, religious minority, or anyone who cares about personal freedom?
Because keeping the system working requires negotiation and compromise. The more people you can live with, and make peace with the bigger the market.
The market itself can be full of perversion and horrors. It's the imperative to cooperate that's valuable.
myrmepropagandist
In his book a culture of star-faring traders are pitted against a stratified fascist culture with castes. He examines the blind spots of each culture but sends a clear message that trades have a kind of moral high ground.
He doesn't explicitly examine or seem to understand WHY.
Traders must be ... tolerant. At some deeper level they want the pie to expand. They want to make money not tell you how to live. They can't derive any profit or pleasure from simple control or domination.
powersoffour
@futurebird did you read Fire Upon the Deep? I confess to having read that, but not yet Deepness in the Sky. I rather enjoyed it but may just not have picked up on the lionization of trade etc.
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