I don't know- I really like Larry Niven's "A Land Out Of Time", and disliked the Ringworld series beyond the initial book.
I like Frank Herbert's approach to the Dune series over several books, centuries even.
I enjoyed Lucian of Samosata's early Sci-fi, because it mocked storytelling while presenting a good story, I also enjoyed Petronius' Satyricon because it focused on two Cynic vagabon philosophers getting into problems constantly, but the modern equivelents not so much a big fan of.
And no, I don't want to read about a captain stumble through Kant or the Prime Directives. I don't want a cheap repeat of themes some lazy writer took from introductory philosophy courses, such as placing Nietzsche quotes in vikings, that pisses me off to no end.
I can enjoy a historical approach like the novel Leo Africanus, not because it us accurate, but rather because it is respectful to the humanity on all sides, doesn't treat any faction like a idiot or stereotype, you can see real world personalities you can encounter intermingled with historic themes and ideological narratives. That's what attracts me to a philosopher such as Ibn Khaldun- he was the last philosopher of Islamic Spain, grew up in exile, tried to make sense of why Islamic Spain collapsed in the broader spectrum of history, detailing how societies rise and fall. He ended up in Damascus as Tamerlane laid siege to it, with Tamerlane asking for Ibn Khaldun to join him.
Had Kant existed in Tamerlane's past, I don't think he would sit around and discuss Kant. He would discuss his current situation, that if the world.
Or Arrian, the Stoic historian's writings on Alexander the Great.... amazing insight, introduces you to a entire philosophical debate that raged for centuries regarding Alexander, now gone save through thus work.
You look at TV shows like Chanakya (India, focusing on the Philosopher Chanakya during Alexander's invasion of India) or the Korean show Li San, trying to balance the repression of the Neo-Confucian ministers in court with a Democratic Party style subversive, long term coup against the young prince Li San (Trump), you see the various philosophic spectrums of the Joseon Dynasty clash and emerge. You get a real sense of the underlying ideological conflict as it goes from abstract ideas to reality.
Or Jack London, his Iron Heel was a classic. It was two stories at once, a diary of a failed, forgotten Marxist uprising in early 20th century California, and the notes from 700/800 years later once a world Marxist order finally is established, explaining to readers what was happening, as if it was a actual book edited by a specialist on some future library shelf.
But yeah, I grow really gloomy when I see some idiot author slap Nietzsche into the mouth of early characters to kaje them more "real" or "complex"- that's shallow and weak.
I reqlly liked the episodes of Enterprise when Archer had Surak in him. I would of preferred to of read that in book form. Like, does Star Trek have the equivalent of Mohist philosophers during the Dominion War? Any deep questioning of the negative influences of Star Trek's philosophy outside a few renegade MACO soldiers in Star Trek Beyond? Deep soul searching and questioning about the decay of society, like Count Dooku could ask when staring at the absolute farce of the Galactic Republic, realizing it had to he destroyed and reordered for the greater good?
I look at Star Trek, it seems dead. Makes interesting movies, but I don't see interesting fans. No great tulmult or conflict that rises to challenge the fundamentals of the system without being made the bad guys in the end. What are the major philosophies in Star Trek? Hippy scientists living on communal, anti-technology farms, mocking religion? And you wonder why the whole universe constantly kicks in the door on the Federation. Federation seems a sick and dying place, as boring as the Q Continuum is, except not as well defended. They are inward looking, but not in a positive way. They no longer seek to ask the hard questions like Vger asked if itself on its journey.
I'm to a great degree willing to see the universe die if it doesn't force a new awareness, challenge its old ways and beliefs. But it needs to he aware that a conflict even exists, that its core ideas can even be challenged. Who is the great captain reformer of the federation, like Alexander the Great, on the verge of grasping the summation of the old older and the need for a new? Where is Cao Cao emerging to take control of the reigns if decaying systems, remaking it to benefit his own selfish desires for power and Dynasty. Everytime a military coup happens, chit chat and resignation happens. Just once, let a dictator take over like Assad, and focus in the sentiment ofvdesperation, asking what went wrong with the federation, hut also what was still right, fight.... loose, fight again, loose, fight again, gain a foothold, new ideas and beliefs mingling with the old, in a massive conflict of witz. The kind of struggle where the old world can't return as it was, but something new and still valid and beautiful can emerge.
I also do want someone to write Vulcan Love Slave.
I hope that explains my ignorant, easily derided position. I want Roddenberry's vision critically tested, all his best ideas thrown into absolute chaos, some squashed, others redeemed, but they gotta really earn it from real struggle against other ideas that have seemingly just as good of a claim for governing the philosophy of eras, not so easy to reject.
I also want something resembling Magog from Andromeda to come and eat and rape all those self righteous organic hippy communes full of scientists. Please someone kill them all. Think that philosophical movement was the Neo-Transcedentalists or something. They need terrible, terrible things to happen to them. Too damn smug and pointlessly undeserving, never challenged for centuries. Time to throw them in the fire, see what emerges in response, and I don't mean more of the same. Universe is inherently hostile, even monks experience Viking raids and plauges, warlords and dying orders. Real people have conflicts eventually, something slowly creeping, undiscernable at first. People one good turn rotten, once rotten redeemed.
Why no federation ships or captains seeking asylum in klingnon, Romulan or Green space? What, some Indian Tribe joined Cardassians? That's it?
. Ummm ok.
