Here is Part 2 of the Prometheus Blog interview with veteran LFS member and Prometheus judge Rick Triplett, conducted by interviewer Michael Grossberg:
Q: Once you discovered the joys of reading, and became a voracious reader of “all things futuristic, scientific or heroic” (as you said in Part One of this interview), were there particular writers who especially captured your imagination?
A: The main one – as he was for many folks – is Robert A. Heinlein.
His juveniles were a giant leap forward from the less sophisticated ones I had read, like Tom Swift Jr., Tom Corbett, etc. and they had more relatable stories than those I found in pulp fan mags.
By the time I was in high school, I was reading Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury, Dick, Pohl, etc. I started college majoring in philosophy, reading more SciFi authors, and struggling with the unscientific nature of religion, which was pumped into me as a child.
All these and future authors stretched my mind and helped me appreciate the importance of thinking outside the box; but Robert A. Heinlein remains the foremost author in helping me love independence, adventure, accountability, and cooperation.
Q: What do you think makes Heinlein not only your favorite sf writer but also a storyteller of continuing popularity and influence?
A: Like most “libertarians” (small “L,” i.e. opposite of “authoritarian”), I have been richly inspired by the imagination and story-telling skill of Heinlein.
Even those readers who are less interested in liberty readily acknowledge Heinlein’s ability to spin an enchanting tale and to explore ideas so far outside the box that we are in awe that he thought of them at all (Imperial numbers? Three time dimensions? A sentient computer that’s a nice guy? – and countless more).
Clearly Heinlein was a fan of individualism and personal responsibility, but he repeatedly told interviewers that he was not preaching but rather trying to provoke thought.
Among the most profound of his ideas was that of the planets Secundus and Tertius – that mankind was flawed toward the blind alley of rule by force, necessitating starting over again and again.
This prospect is a bit dismal: how can we have a free society that is stable? Well, not with limited government, for that requires the use of force, which then gets out of hand. We need a technology which harnesses the power of the non-coercive sanction against those who disrespect individual human agency.
I think a free future depends on free speech, not the heavily regulated speech that all governments allow us. The vehicle for this will likely be computer technology that facilitates totally free speech, communications, and databases that cannot be hacked, including by governments.
Q: The LFS website now highlights a Young Adult Honor Roll, with more than a dozen works of YA fiction recognized by the Prometheus Award over the decades as nominees, finalists or winners. What’s your view of such an honor roll and its wider purpose in guiding younger readers?
A: During the decades I was active with the Libertarian Futurist Society, I often promoted the idea that we should direct some of our efforts toward the young, since they would one day be running the world.
I’m delighted beyond words that our Society has now established the Young Adult Honor Roll. This will expand the range of people we can influence, and it will draw ideas from our public for additions to the list.
I hope that the list will interpret “science fiction” broadly, for there are many books that while not technically SciFi are certainly libertarian: consider Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen. A kid stranded in the wilderness manages to survive an even thrive, though reason, hard work, and fortitude.
We libertarians want people to be independent instead of entitled, ruled, and subordinated; but kids who grow up appreciating independence are the ones most likely to lean toward libertarian structures in our civilization.
The last line in Hatchet is what the kid says to a “rescuer” who finally shows up: “Would you like something to eat?” I burst into tears when I read it, just as I did when I read “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin.’”
Books like these lay the groundwork for appreciating liberty.
* Check out the first part of the Prometheus Blog interview with Rick Triplett.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:
* Prometheus winners: For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer and Sarah Hoyt), Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Facebook page for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.
* Join us! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.
Libertarian futurists believe that culture matters! We understand that the arts and literature can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future – and in some ways can be even more powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other’s rights, individuality and human dignity.
