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Old 11-02-2010, 05:05 PM   #10
emellaich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by birdbrainbb View Post
... Is it something along the lines of Baen's more right-wing military sci-fi books?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Worldwalker View Post
Smith is a Libertarian.
And so, the answer depends on your definition of right-wing and military. For example, I remember one of his books (Probability Broach, I believe?) where the people in the alternate world all carried guns and this made them very respectful of one another.

So, to the extent that you are a non-gun person this and 'right-wing military' sound very similar. On the other hand, the libertarian philosophy is more about personal independence and you would see some pretty strong disagreement between a strong libertarian and someone who believes in the need for a strong, institutional military.

Similarly, Baen's books have quite a range here. Some of the Heinlein stuff leans much more libertarian. Weber really mixes things up: a monarchy, capitalism, and personal responsibility with duels and all their consequences. In his Honor Harrington, the "peoples republic" is theoretically democratic, but its actually the most restrictive. Flint, promotes the power of the people and he's a long time Socialist, but he still uses the military and conquest to pave the way. So, Baen has a lot of guns, swords and stuff and a lot of fighting. However, I would not necessarily paint Baen universally as 'right-wing'.

Finally, I do recognize that original statement implied that only some of Baen's stuff was right-wing -- I'm just sharing my thoughts and agreement that there is a wide range to the positions that can lead to guns, wars, and fighting and that its not just a right-wing position.
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