I’m a few days late posting my thoughts on io9’s annual nod to libertarian themed science fiction from April 18, which contains some unexpected titles and the usual political debate in comments.
I’m a little puzzled by the inclusion of William Morris and H.G. Wells on this list, and I think F. Paul Wilson’s An Enemy of the State is a better candidate than Wheels Within Wheels. I am surprised that neither L. Neil Smith nor Vernor Vinge made the list with some of their fiction. I have a list of 50 works of fiction I’d recommend to people that deals with liberty and power; few of my books are on this list, though I cover books across multiple genres.
Reading the comments is funny yet sad. One person sees these books as ones to avoid (way to broaden one’s mind) and that libertarians are all about “me, me, me” while he cares about the nebulous “community as a whole” in true collectivity fashion. Libertarianism is about individuals, which perhaps some people confuse with solipsism. Some comments are far more rational, but many spout the “I disagree with you so I’m going to call you a lunatic” philosophy so prevalent these days among both left and right.
Unfortunately, no other novels were suggested in the comments, so instead of discussing liberty and fiction the comments revolved around the idea of libertarianism and and capitalism being good or evil.
