Inversions Asteroid Impact

In article ,
wrote:
>Just finished reading Inversions and it's obviously set in the culture
>universe and partly revolves around the degree to which the Culture
>should intervene in the development of societies.
>
>Am left wondering why they allowed millions of people to die in the
>asteroid storm when a non detectable intervention would surely have
>been possible. Was it worth this many deaths just to topple to old
>empire?
>
>Any thoughts?

It's described as having happened in the past - several generations ago,
IIRC. That could have placed it before the system had been surveyed.

OTOH, consideration by the Minds might have indicated that the number of
lives lost to the impact and subsequent events would be smaller than the
number that would have been lost by a continuation of the former system...

--
Andy Breen ~ Not speaking on behalf of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)
 >> Stay informed about: Inversions Asteroid Impact 

In article ,
PhilHibbs wrote:
>Andrew Robert Breen:
>> OTOH, consideration by the Minds might have indicated that the number of
>> lives lost to the impact and subsequent events would be smaller than the
>> number that would have been lost by a continuation of the former system...
>
>Indeed. The Culture would not have stopped the Black Death for the
>same reason. The depopulation of the peasant class caused a labour
>shortage that ultimately led to workers' rights, and a social system
>that valued the lives of the lowest echelon of society.

Possibly (indeed probably), though there might have been an option ot
tinker with its genetic sequencing to limit overall mortality whilst
targeting the mortality caused in the most effective manner (parallel: the
plagues of the late 500s in Britain, which did the most damage to
the militrised ruling classes
(who traded with the near East for luxury goods and lived in compact,
enclosed fortified settlements) whilst almost sparing the "barbarians"
(who didn't trade, lived in more dispersed settlements - and had a less
stratified social system..)

Which of the books has the bit about not second-guessing Minds,
and particularly not Contact Minds, and particularly and especially not
SC Minds?

--
Andy Breen ~ Not speaking on behalf of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)
 >> Stay informed about: Inversions Asteroid Impact