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<blockquote data-quote="MGibster" data-source="post: 9589241" data-attributes="member: 4534">When I took Anthropology 101, the professor was talking to us about the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.&nbsp; <ol>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Suffering is a part of life.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Attachments and negative actions cause suffering.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ending desire and attachment will end suffering.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ol">You can achieve enlightenment by following the Eightfold Path.&nbsp; </li>
</ol>He went on to tell us, &quot;I'm not asking you to believe this is true, but if you understand this is what someone believes, it might help you understand why they do things the way they do.&nbsp; Why their society is structured in a certain way.&quot;&nbsp; So when I read something like Starship Troopers, I can kind of see where the author is coming from.&nbsp; Why should anyone have a say in how society is run if they're not willing to serve that society in some way?&nbsp; For what's really a book for teens, that's kind of a profound question and I find it interesting.&nbsp; It doesn't mean I want mandatory service, military or otherwise, before people are enfranchised, but it made for interesting brain fodder.&nbsp; I took a nifty class called Gender &amp; Science Fiction, where I was expected to read a lot of science fiction and analyze them through various theories.&nbsp; It was kind of fun to analyze books/stories through lenses I didn't even agree with.&nbsp; Most people, me included, aren't doing that when reading for entertainment though.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MGibster, post: 9589241, member: 4534"] When I took Anthropology 101, the professor was talking to us about the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. [LIST=1] [*]Suffering is a part of life. [*]Attachments and negative actions cause suffering. [*]Ending desire and attachment will end suffering. [*]You can achieve enlightenment by following the Eightfold Path. [/LIST] He went on to tell us, "I'm not asking you to believe this is true, but if you understand this is what someone believes, it might help you understand why they do things the way they do. Why their society is structured in a certain way." So when I read something like [I]Starship Troopers[/I], I can kind of see where the author is coming from. Why should anyone have a say in how society is run if they're not willing to serve that society in some way? For what's really a book for teens, that's kind of a profound question and I find it interesting. It doesn't mean I want mandatory service, military or otherwise, before people are enfranchised, but it made for interesting brain fodder. I took a nifty class called Gender & Science Fiction, where I was expected to read a lot of science fiction and analyze them through various theories. It was kind of fun to analyze books/stories through lenses I didn't even agree with. Most people, me included, aren't doing that when reading for entertainment though. [/QUOTE]

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