Special Circumstances

Most of Banks' Culture novels are concerned directly or indirectly with such circumstances.

In Banks' terms, SC is an absolute necessity for the Culture: a society so totally dedicated to the complete satisfaction of all of its members' desires, must have a way to justify to itself all the freeriding it is enjoying. SC is especially concerned with contacts with lower tech civilizations, helping them (never in a straight, honest-to-face way) and resolving difficult conflicts that threaten the Culture way of living.

In times of war, SC becomes especially powerful and fashionable among the Culture, and a SC membership, usually very difficult to obtain, is one of the highest valued things for Culture members.