A subgenre of fiction I wish I could read more of is rationalist-flavored depictions of utopia that centrally feature characters who intentionally and passionately pursue unpleasant experiences, which I don’t see much of. It’s somewhat surprising since it’s a pretty universal orientation.
For instance, and this is a somewhat extreme version, I’m a not-that-active member of a local trail running group (all professionals with demanding day jobs) that meets regularly for creative sufferfests like treasure hunt races in the mountains, some of whom regularly fly to regional races on weekends. The suffering (and overcoming it) is almost the point, everyone excitingly trades stories in this vein, and the long-timers especially seem to derive tremendous meaning from this almost regardless of how badly they do (finishing near the bottom, throwing up and crying multiple times, getting lost, etc).
The Barkley Marathons is the logical endpoint of this. I think of physicist-turned-quant Brett Maune’s race reports for instance, think to myself “he really does deliberately subject himself to this on weekends, wtf”, and wonder what his ilk would do in their versions of utopia. Maybe another way to put this is what their utopias’ laws of fun would be like. Maybe they’re just too busy enjoying sufferfests and looking for the next ones to join to be writing stories…
In books about the Culture sci fi universe such things are described a couple of times. E.g. in the novel “Use of Weapons” the “crew” (the ship is fully automated, so more like permanent passengers) of a ship deliberately weaken their immune system to basically get a seasonal cold just for the experience, which otherwise could not happen due to their genetically enhanced immune system.
Also lava rafting and other extreme sports, maybe in Look to Windward which focuses a bit more on the Culture. Many of the human protagonists in the Culture experience significant self-hatred, although that’s not the only reason to seek out experiences so difficult they may become net negative. It’s as though the Culture is missing advanced therapeutic techniques along with a desire for immortality. I’d like an updated utopia.
Well, the disturbed protagonists in the Culture series (as in: books, and in the whole of the fictional universe) are usually not from the “Culture” (one particular civilizations within the whole fictional universe), but outsiders hired to act as agents.
Hm, interesting. I remembered that about Zakalwe but my memory for the others is vague. So maybe Culture citizens are so well-adjusted that they wouldn’t risk their lives?
A subgenre of fiction I wish I could read more of is rationalist-flavored depictions of utopia that centrally feature characters who intentionally and passionately pursue unpleasant experiences, which I don’t see much of. It’s somewhat surprising since it’s a pretty universal orientation.
For instance, and this is a somewhat extreme version, I’m a not-that-active member of a local trail running group (all professionals with demanding day jobs) that meets regularly for creative sufferfests like treasure hunt races in the mountains, some of whom regularly fly to regional races on weekends. The suffering (and overcoming it) is almost the point, everyone excitingly trades stories in this vein, and the long-timers especially seem to derive tremendous meaning from this almost regardless of how badly they do (finishing near the bottom, throwing up and crying multiple times, getting lost, etc).
The Barkley Marathons is the logical endpoint of this. I think of physicist-turned-quant Brett Maune’s race reports for instance, think to myself “he really does deliberately subject himself to this on weekends, wtf”, and wonder what his ilk would do in their versions of utopia. Maybe another way to put this is what their utopias’ laws of fun would be like. Maybe they’re just too busy enjoying sufferfests and looking for the next ones to join to be writing stories…
Have you read The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect? Fits the bill.
In books about the Culture sci fi universe such things are described a couple of times. E.g. in the novel “Use of Weapons” the “crew” (the ship is fully automated, so more like permanent passengers) of a ship deliberately weaken their immune system to basically get a seasonal cold just for the experience, which otherwise could not happen due to their genetically enhanced immune system.
Also lava rafting and other extreme sports, maybe in Look to Windward which focuses a bit more on the Culture. Many of the human protagonists in the Culture experience significant self-hatred, although that’s not the only reason to seek out experiences so difficult they may become net negative. It’s as though the Culture is missing advanced therapeutic techniques along with a desire for immortality. I’d like an updated utopia.
Well, the disturbed protagonists in the Culture series (as in: books, and in the whole of the fictional universe) are usually not from the “Culture” (one particular civilizations within the whole fictional universe), but outsiders hired to act as agents.
Hm, interesting. I remembered that about Zakalwe but my memory for the others is vague. So maybe Culture citizens are so well-adjusted that they wouldn’t risk their lives?