Humans are just barely intelligent tool users; Darwinian evolutionary selection stopped when language and tool use converged, leaving the average hairy meme carrier sadly deficient in smarts.
Charles StrossWriting your own story around the same ideas is not plagiarism; at worst, it's being unoriginal.
Charles StrossIf an idea is compelling enough it'll stick in my head until I am forced to write it. If it's forgettable, who cares?
Charles Stross