{"id":7619,"date":"2024-07-27T00:01:35","date_gmt":"2024-07-27T05:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=7619"},"modified":"2024-07-24T13:43:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:43:36","slug":"the-rick-triplett-interview-part-4-on-aikido-the-right-of-self-defense-free-trade-and-first-contact-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/the-rick-triplett-interview-part-4-on-aikido-the-right-of-self-defense-free-trade-and-first-contact-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rick Triplett interview, part 4: On aikido, the right of self-defense, free trade and first-contact stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here is part 4 of the Prometheus Blog interview with Rick Triplett, a lifelong science fiction fan, decades-long libertarian, a veteran Prometheus Awards judge and recently honored as the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s first Emeritus member.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Rick Triplett demonstrating the art of aikido in 2007 at a community cultural festival (Photo courtesy of Triplett)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q: You\u2019ve practiced aikido for many years \u2013 and have even demonstrated the martial art at area festivals. What attracted you to aikido and does it have any relevance to your libertarian views?<\/p>\n

A: Aikido is a non-aggressive martial art (virtually the only one).<\/p>\n

Its strategy is to de-escalate rather than resort to fighting; its tactics are to avoid and restrain, rather than to damage the opponent. Although its techniques can damage or kill, they are applied in a measured way that at least attempts allowing an attacker to shift from domination to negotiation.<\/p>\n

It respects human agency including one\u2019s own right to self-defense.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Q: The right of self-defense is certainly at the foundation of individual rights and the philosophy of freedom \u2013 which in political terms, means the freedom to live in peace (properly understood and defined as the absence of coercion by others) while respecting the rights of others, avoiding aggression and only using force when necessary to protect individual rights.<\/p>\n

But free trade and free markets are also key aspects of libertarianism and its close antecedent, classical liberalism. Are there any novels that inspired or influenced you about economic freedom?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A: Trader to the Stars<\/em>, by Poul Anderson (inducted in 1985<\/a> into the Prometheus Hall of Fame), was my introduction to the idea of free trade. In some ways, Anderson\u2019s novel prepared me for Rand\u2019s Atlas Shrugged.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Q: Besides Heinlein\u2019s classic works<\/a>, name your favorite sf\/fantasy novels (whether or not they have anything to do with libertarian or anti-authoritarian themes) \u2013 and why you enjoy them.<\/p>\n

A: For pleasure on an epic scale: Arthur C. Clarke\u2019s Rendezvous with Rama\u00a0<\/em>and Carl Sagan\u2019s Contact.<\/em><\/p>\n

Both of these first-contact novels leave one spellbound by the scope of advanced civilizations \u2013 advanced because they apparently found a way to avoid destroying themselves in power struggles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How they did this remains unknown, but the consequences led to mind-bending advances in science and discovery. A good word for this mind-bending awe is \u201cnuminous,\u201d which Sagan actually uses in his novel (made into a quite good movie, I might add).<\/p>\n

In Sagan\u2019s tale we actually get to meet (sort of) an alien, and discover that this alien is in awe of still another unknown and far more advanced culture that preceded him. It is valuable to read tales that hint at solutions, but perhaps even more valuable to read tales that inspire us to yearn and dream.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Q: Do you have any favorite novels that explore the perennial issue of how to succeed at defending freedom and\/or achieving a fully free society?<\/p>\n

A: For directing me toward a possible solution for the Great Libertarian Mystery (how to make freedom happen), I admire and highly recommend James P. Hogan\u2019s Voyage From Yesteryear<\/em><\/a>; Vernor Vinge\u2019s story \u201cTrue Names\u201d<\/a> and Marc Stiegler\u2019s Earthweb<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hogan\u2019s Prometheus-winning novel is a tribute to education unhindered by coercion, and of the resolving of disputes by simply ignoring people who are childish.<\/p>\n

In 1970, I and some of my friends discussed applications of what we called \u201cselective Shrugging\u201d as a means of dissuading others from the use of force.<\/p>\n

I got this idea from a Heinlein story (which I can no longer identify) in which a society was bombed and a character exclaimed something like \u201ctheir organization was geographic instead of dispersed.\u201d Subsequently I quit thinking of jurisdiction\/administration as being limited to geography \u2013 \u201cgovernments\u201d could overlap.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reading Vinge\u2019s story sparked my realization that computer science is a profoundly diverse and useful technology, and that it can form the basis for harnessing the power of concerted, targeted Shrugging.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, Earthweb <\/em>by Marc Stiegler (a frequent Prometheus Best Novel nominee and finalist)was the first novel to dramatize for me (quite realistically) how powerful human cooperation could become when assisted by digital technology.<\/p>\n

We need technology to \u201cout organize\u201d the authoritarians.<\/p>\n

* Check out Part One<\/a>, Part Two<\/a> and Part Three<\/a> of the Prometheus Blog interview with Rick Triplett.<\/p>\n

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/strong>For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced\u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>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\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/strong><\/a>an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/em>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch <\/strong>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\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Join us! <\/em><\/strong>To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, \u00a0join<\/a>the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s rights, individuality and human dignity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is part 4 of the Prometheus Blog interview with Rick Triplett, a lifelong science fiction fan, decades-long libertarian, a veteran Prometheus Awards judge and recently honored as the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s first Emeritus member. Q: You\u2019ve practiced aikido for many years \u2013 and have even demonstrated the martial art at area festivals. What attracted … Continue reading The Rick Triplett interview, part 4: On aikido, the right of self-defense, free trade and first-contact stories<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[36,2045,1861,1860,2021],"tags":[2376,328,2379,2035,2380,2377,370,955,161,412,6,2381,2352,1583,2378,1224,248],"class_list":["post-7619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews","category-james-p-hogan","category-poul-anderson","category-robert-heinlein","category-vernor-vinge","tag-aikido","tag-aliens","tag-arthur-clarke","tag-carl-sagan","tag-contact","tag-earthweb","tag-first-contact","tag-heinlein","tag-james-p-hogan","tag-marc-stiegler","tag-poul-anderson","tag-rendezvous-with-rama","tag-rick-triplett","tag-science","tag-selective-shrugging","tag-self-defense","tag-trader-to-the-stars"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-1YT","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7619"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7966,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619\/revisions\/7966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}