Overview The novel depicts a world in which genetic selection for increased health, longevity, and intelligence has become so widespread that the unmodified "control naturals" are a carefully managed and protected minority. Duels and the carrying of arms are socially accepted ways of maintaining civility in public. A man can wear distinctive clothing to show his unwillingness to duel, but this results in an inferior social status. The world has become an economic utopia; the "economic dividend" is so high that work has become optional. The chief economic problem uses up the economic surplus: many high-quality goods actually cost less than those of lower quality. Many people use lower-quality goods as status symbols. The government invests heavily in scientific research, but it has the side effect of further increasing productivity a decade or more later, and so long-term projects with no expected economic return are favored above anything but medical research, on the theory that longer lifespans will consume more surplus.
Overview The novel depicts a world in which genetic selection for increased health, longevity, and intelligence has become so widespread that the unmodified "control naturals" are a carefully managed and protected minority. Duels and the carrying of arms are socially accepted ways of maintaining civility in public. A man can wear distinctive clothing to show his unwillingness to duel, but this results in an inferior social status. The world has become an economic utopia; the "economic dividend" is so high that work has become optional. The chief economic problem uses up the economic surplus: many high-quality goods actually cost less than those of lower quality Many people use lower-quality goods as status symbols. The government invests heavily in scientific research, but it has the side effect of further increasing productivity a decade or more later, and so long-term projects with no expected economic return are favored above anything but medical research on the theory that longer lifespans will consume more surplus