Economic utility
I am attempting to read a novel in my spare time, which works out to be 15 minutes in bed each night. The book I am reading is Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, one of my husband's favorite authors. I find him less than compelling in that he appears to be all about world building for degenerate urban singles; my life is pretty removed from his world. I barely have time for marital sex, much less for pleasure implants in my skull. He writes the equivalent of future landscapes, when I prefer books where people do things or, at a minimum, I learn something.
So I am slogging through this future dystopia and ran across a court of the future, where the state defender represented the accused only to the extent that the defendant had economic utility to the state. Once it was determined that the state was not interested in the defendant, he was disposed of. I have been throwing this around in my mind. Is it the end state when economic interests prevail? I can see twelve ways this is bullshit. But still interesting. Perhaps I will open pathways in my brain that let in new thoughts with this somewhat annoying novel. Or perhaps I will give up and go read better philosophy.
So I am slogging through this future dystopia and ran across a court of the future, where the state defender represented the accused only to the extent that the defendant had economic utility to the state. Once it was determined that the state was not interested in the defendant, he was disposed of. I have been throwing this around in my mind. Is it the end state when economic interests prevail? I can see twelve ways this is bullshit. But still interesting. Perhaps I will open pathways in my brain that let in new thoughts with this somewhat annoying novel. Or perhaps I will give up and go read better philosophy.