I enjoyed His Dark Materials but felt that the quality of the writing went downward as the amount of anti-religious axe-grinding went up. (Not because I have an axe to grind; I am an atheist myself and enjoy anti-religious axe-grinding when it’s done well.) I wouldn’t say that the books feel particularly rationalist, for what it’s worth, despite the relevant themes you mention.
Yep, I agree (ETA: about the fact that the books aren’t especially “rationalist”; I don’t remember thinking that the quality of the writing went down as the amount of anti-religious axe-grinding went up, but it’s been long enough since I read the books that maybe if I read them again with that claim in mind I would agree). Rereading Ender’s Game and have changed my mind about His Dark Materials being especially rationalist since writing that comment. ETA: Ender’s game has a ton more stuff in it than I remembered that could basically have come straight out of the sequences, so my mental baseline for “especially rationalist-y fiction” was a lot lower than it probably should have been. Also probably some halo effect going on: I like the books, I like rationalism, so my brain wanted to associate them.
I enjoyed His Dark Materials but felt that the quality of the writing went downward as the amount of anti-religious axe-grinding went up. (Not because I have an axe to grind; I am an atheist myself and enjoy anti-religious axe-grinding when it’s done well.) I wouldn’t say that the books feel particularly rationalist, for what it’s worth, despite the relevant themes you mention.
Yep, I agree (ETA: about the fact that the books aren’t especially “rationalist”; I don’t remember thinking that the quality of the writing went down as the amount of anti-religious axe-grinding went up, but it’s been long enough since I read the books that maybe if I read them again with that claim in mind I would agree). Rereading Ender’s Game and have changed my mind about His Dark Materials being especially rationalist since writing that comment. ETA: Ender’s game has a ton more stuff in it than I remembered that could basically have come straight out of the sequences, so my mental baseline for “especially rationalist-y fiction” was a lot lower than it probably should have been. Also probably some halo effect going on: I like the books, I like rationalism, so my brain wanted to associate them.