I'd enjoy a science fiction novel exploring the (wild) premise of a world in which every single human being was loved and cared for and respected their entire life, and found great meaning in their lives and community.
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That sounds sappy and sentimental. But it has sharp teeth.
I'm not at all wild about notions of "progress" which barely do more than nod at the above. The purpose of our collective life isn't to increase GDP or make new technologies; those are a means, not an end.
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banks' culture series is the closest sf that comes to mind. I've only read two books so far--the culture themselves are ~post scarcity / money, and though it is not clear each human is necessarily loved / well respected, they do exist in a kind of utopia
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rest of the universe exists in different ideological & technological stages, which sets the plot for the stories I've read. would have more accurate thoughts on the overall series as it relates to your original prompt, and might be aware of other better fitting books
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I’d say they are loved and respected inasmuch as there’s no excuses for self-actualization, so people are all generally well past the love-and-belonging level anyway. I think Look to Windward comes closest to providing a glimpse of the community psychology of the Culture.
The problem with the series is that we see very little of the lives of culture core people. Most novels are Special Circumstances people dealing with non-Culture people in the spotlight.
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