The perfect Heinleinian or Andersonian hero excels in a free enterprise economy and leads extra-solar colonization. This is a sweeping but unprejudicial generalization. The most perfect of all Andersonian heroes is David Falkayn. Dominic Flandry wishes that he had lived in the era of the merchant princes. I was going to add "Pournellean" to "Heinleinian" and "Andersonian" but maybe the perfect Pournellean hero is the man who applies military solutions to social problems? Free enterprise and interstellar travel are two American ideals of freedom.
In Tau Zero, Norbert Williams, the American chemist in the Leonora Christine crew:
celebrates American Independence Day by getting drunk;
becomes aggressive to a Swede;
denounces "'Goddam welfare state bureaucracy...'" (p. 43);
is accused of dreaming about imperialism, fantasizing about free enterprise and dabbling "'...in reactionary politics.'" (pp. 43-44);
is described as a romantic nationalist and advised to satisfy himself "'...with historical fiction and bad epic poetry.'" (p. 44);
shouts about, "''Nother star. New world. Chance t' be free. Even if I do have to travel with a pack o' Swedes.'" (ibid.)
Williams is not Falkayn material but would certainly enjoy The Trouble Twisters and Satan's World.
6 comments:
How did Williams get to be on board?
Remember my earlier comment: 5 years with HIM?
As per Charles Stross:
"In other words: space colonization is implicitly incompatible with both libertarian ideology and the myth of the American frontier."
(http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/08/space-cadets.html)
As per: Rick Robinson:
"Other things being equal, outer space is not an environment for rugged individualists, or high tech counterparts of Jeffersonian yeoman farmers.
For that you pretty much need habitable planets.
Space, at Plausible [TM] midfuture techlevels, is an environment that calls for a high level of human cooperation.
(http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2010/04/transport-nexus-ii-prince-versus.html)
-Keith
What Keith said. The Atomic Rockets site quotes and links to Rick Robinson and Charles Stross a LOT.
Keith, meet David!
Paul.
[Waves at the screen] Hi.
Kaor, Paul!
I think a Pournellean hero would be a soldier like Colonel Falkenberg using his victories to buy the time needed by the politicians to resolve the problems which had caused the wars in the first place. In fact, Falkenberg said that himself in one of the Co-Dominium stories.
Sean
Hey David. Pleased to "meet" you.
I met Rick Robinson before he moved from SF- a likeable and smart guy. Wish he'd do more RP Manifesto.
I also like Atomic Rockets a LOT.
I found another site I enjoy. It's so hard science fiction that it's crossed over into engineering fiction- Tough SF (http://toughsf.blogspot.com/). These **c***r* "get downright numerical on you ass". Very polite and friendly though, like Our Gracious Hosts here....
And then of course there's Orion's Arm...https://www.orionsarm.com/
These folks are serious, have been around a long time, and I find rather overwhelming, so I don't go there very often. Lots of good stuff there, though.
I was involved with the Epona Project, BITD. http://worldbuilders.info/about/
Cheers,
Keith
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