Welcome aboard, johnny! Looking forward to discussing some things. Personally, I would recommend elizabeth's YouTube vlog series on her travels around the world. She's an avid traveller and had some written material about it before, but I'm not sure I can find it at the moment. Her current - Vietnam - adventures are interesting and curious. Which are the Big Ideas? EDIT: if you're looking for more real-time discussions, feel free to hop onto Hubski's IRC (you can use the link in the footer). I spend some time there, mostly US' evenings and mornings. We discuss whatever comes to mind.Sci-fi is my primary interest in fiction, and even then I prefer books with Big Ideas most of the time
That does sound interesting. As for big ideas, I don't know as I have any one in particular. I more mean stories that get into deeper ideas about being human. So writers John Brunner, Frank Herbert, Gene Wolfe, Richard K. Morgan to an extent, etc.
So, perhaps "deeper ideas" is a more appropriate name for it? Doesn't sound to me that something about human beings can be big, but it sure can be deep. If I understand correctly, you mean the human nature in all of its aspects. If so, have you ever seen or played The Last of Us? The characters there aren't perfect, but that's what makes them human. Is that the kind of ideas that you refer to?I more mean stories that get into deeper ideas about being human.
That's an interesting thought. But I do think humans can be big in the sense of impact (sometimes for good or ill), and perhaps in terms of nobility, etc. Or if a human saves the universe from existential doom :) Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean, but I also don't think a story has to have major impact in order to be big.
Right. Or I guess it's more of a one-hand-clapping thing. Can the movement of the universe be momentous without a consciousness there to appreciate it? By the same token, doesn't everything connected to thinking beings matter?