In "The State of the Art," Iain M. Banks explores the complexities of culture and its impact on individual choices and potential. He suggests that while culture offers numerous benefits and enriching experiences, it paradoxically stifles personal freedom and decision-making. This duality indicates that an immersive culture may lead to a form of mental limitation, akin to lobotomy, where people lose their ability to engage fully with their own capacities for goodness or wrongdoing.

Banks articulates a critical view of how societal norms and cultural pressures can dull the human experience, suggesting that the very structures designed to enhance our lives may ultimately restrict our autonomy. By examining this tension, he prompts readers to reflect on the sacrifices made in the name of cultural conformity and the potential loss of individual richness and moral complexity.