[Anthony G Williams]

The importance of world-building does of course depend very much on the type of story, and the plot. You might be able to get away with a (very) short story with no context, but anything longer needs some sort of canvas on which to paint the story. It is a matter of judgement to decide how much world-building is necessary for your story, and of authorial skill to introduce it unobtrusively rather in an "info-dump".

One thing I do agree on, very strongly, is the need for internal consistency. I can swallow all sorts of absurd notions in enjoying a tale, but internal contradictions turn me off instantly. I suppose the message is that the author must think through the world being created in some detail in order to avoid inconsistencies, even if much of this information may not be needed and can be omitted from the book.