The Sublimed
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The Sublimed are those alien civilizations in The Culture series of science fiction works by Iain M. Banks who have left the material universe behind ("subliming") to take up an immaterial existence. They are mentioned in the novels Excession, Matter and Look To Windward, and play a major role in the latter.
Individuals and Minds are capable of subliming, and this is described as an ever-present temptation for beings that are bored with or tired of the material universe.
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[edit] Overview
Subliming is a process that allows a civilization to transfer the consciousness of its individual members (biological and/or artificial) from the material universe that we experience to another plane of existence. From the novels, it is not entirely clear where this alternative plane is, but it would appear to be outside (whatever that means) the universe in which The Culture novels are set. In an article entitled "A Few Notes on the Culture," Banks refers to the physical cosmology of The Culture universe as involving a very large set of closed, 4-dimensional hyperspherical universes, each with different physical properties, laws, and histories, nested within a 7-torus, all of which is embedded in an undisclosed form of "meta-space," which may be the destination of Sublimed sentiences.[1] When civilizations sublime, they usually do so quickly (in a matter of days) and completely (or almost completely). It is not clear why this pattern should happen, but it probably involves factors such as the ennui of a civilization before sublimation, the (unknown) benefits of sublimation, or possibly just seen as the thing to do.
Subliming is one of the possible end points of a civilization, others being extinction or a collapse into barbarism. It is however only an end point insofar as it tends to remove that civilization, its influence and its interests from the material universe - it is implied that they might still get up to interesting things, but on an altogether different plane. Furthermore, it is clear that the Sublimed do still occasionally interact with the corporeal races, most notably in the case of the Chelgrians (see below).
The Culture's relationship with sublimation is one of suspicion, not least because the all-at-once nature of most sublimations suggests coercion (Look to Windward). Perhaps more importantly, because it usually marks an end of relations with the material universe (and with those civilisations struggling within it), they also see it as somehow decadent or lacking in public spirit. What little contact has been had with the Sublimed races suggests that they consider the Culture as being somewhat irresponsible and immature in having existed for so long at such an advanced level without subliming.
[edit] Chelgrians
In the novel Look To Windward, the civilization known as the Chel occupy a unique position in relation to sublimation. When they attained the technological know-how for this step, only part of their civilization sublimed and, when they did, they created a "Heaven". Based somewhat on the existing Chelgrian religion, this (technological) "Heaven" was somewhere to which individual Chel could sublime after death (via a device known as a 'SoulKeeper'). Furthermore, unlike (most) other sublimed civilizations, the sublimed Chel continued contact with non-sublimed Chel in the material universe, and would occasionally interact with them (e.g. the righting of wrongs; attendance at sporting events). The cause of this strong bond between the sublimed and non-sublimed Chel is believed to lie with the caste system at the heart of their civilisation.
