Science Fiction is Obsolete?

POSTED BY: cljohnston108
UPDATED: Thursday, August 2, 2007 22:56
VIEWED: 7663
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HUGHFF

Thursday, July 26, 2007 2:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:
Quote:

The most damning proof that he's out of his depth. Anyone who's made any effort to examine sf knows that it predicts the future about as well as a bad fairground psychic, if you'll excuse the tautology.

What? How can you say that, when SF authors have given us the communications satellite (Clarke), the "star wars" Strategic Defense Initiative (Niven, Heinlein & Pournelle, allegedly), the water bed (Heinlein, kinda sorta) and ready-mixed donuts (E.E. "Doc" Smith)! I assume that Star Trek can take credit for the flip-top mobile phone, too.

Because:
1) None of those things are important; sf is literature that examines change in society and technology. What's important is not whether it accurately predicts the future but whether it accurately predicts the way we deal with change. Usually the technology is stuff that real scientists have predicted and the sf writers are just exploring the implicaitons.
2) Clarke did predict the coms satellite but not as science fiction. His first writings about it were in non-fiction, where he suggested the utility of such a system.
3) For every accurate prediction in sf there are more that were wildly inaccurate, we just don't bother to record them. Even the hardest of sf writers have done this. Reference humid Venus as a setting in the 1930s and 1940s, matter transmission, thumbnail nuclear reactors, time travel, warp drives yaddah yaddah.

Like I said, the broken watch idea isn't mine: I plagerised it off Fred Pohl or Isaac Asimov or Harlan Ellison. I can't remember which.

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

QUIETUDE

Thursday, July 26, 2007 5:42 AM

The idea that Science Fiction is obsolete is purely Science Fiction.

I can't image a world where all the books are either Text books, biographies or attempts at drama set in the past or present.

If you think about it most religions are based on Fantasy i.e. Samson getting strength from his hair. Religions are born from the need for man to place himself in a meaningful position in the world.

Science Fiction provides the same purpose. That fact that a Firefly Fan calls him/herself a Browncoat and defines themselves that way is in itself a religion, and lets face it these stories are made up too.

Science Fiction is as limitless as the Human Imagination, and that is limitless.

HUGHFF

Thursday, July 26, 2007 9:42 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Quietude:
I can't image a world where all the books are either Text books, biographies or attempts at drama set in the past or present.

Plato banned poets from his Utopia because they told lies!

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

QUIETUDE

Friday, July 27, 2007 2:52 AM

Have you ever heard of 'Plato', 'Aristotle', 'Socrates'?!!!

Morons.

PIZMOBEACH

Friday, July 27, 2007 3:05 AM

Uuuu really going to even consider someone who writes:

"In a sulfurous chasm beneath Reality, lit by the orange glow from what appears to be a river of molten Time, the serpent and the eagle have reached their moment of final reckoning."

???!!! PleaSe entEr HeRe your choIce of WtF or HuH ???!!!

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

CYBERSNARK

Friday, July 27, 2007 4:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Uuuu really going to even consider someone who writes:

"In a sulfurous chasm beneath Reality, lit by the orange glow from what appears to be a river of molten Time, the serpent and the eagle have reached their moment of final reckoning."

Actually, I kinda like that. Good, evocative use of imagery, and the word choice lends itself well to the lugubrious rhythm. . .

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

SAFEAT2ND

Friday, July 27, 2007 4:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Quietude:
Have you ever heard of 'Plato', 'Aristotle', 'Socrates'?!!!

Morons.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...

I think it's just our definition of Science Fiction has changed. Or perhaps the un enlightned's view of it has changed.

_______________________________________________________________
"Got a headful of lightning
And a heart full of rain
And I know that I said
I'd never do it again
Oh and I love you sweet baby but I always take the long way home."

IMNOTHERE

Friday, July 27, 2007 8:44 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by hughff:
Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere: (snipped a bit)
What? How can you say that, when SF authors have given us the communications satellite, the "star wars" Strategic Defense Initiative, the water bed and ready-mixed donuts

Because:
1) None of those things are important

Well, SciFi may not be dead, but irony is definitely looking a bit shakey... Mind you don't drop donut crumbs on your waterbed.

TRAVELER

Friday, July 27, 2007 11:49 PM

If Science Fiction is dead than the Western has passed on long ago. Oh wait I seem to remember Open Range, Missing, The Quick and the Dead, and The Unforgiven. Should I sit back and really add up all Westerns there are.

Science Fiction outweighs Western by ten fold. I would be here all day writing movie titles. Every library I have ever entered has a special section just for Science Fiction.

Just how many comic books would exist if Science Fiction were removed from the store shelves.

Even Jodie Foster did Contact. Would you have wagered that Ms. Foster would make a Science Fiction film.

Science Fiction is not dead. You would have to wipe out all intellingent life forms in the universe first.

I think of all the science fiction that came out of my mouth when asked how the lamp got broken or the come the car only has half a tank of gas.

Long live Science Fiction and those who love it.
Traveler

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

HUGHFF

Saturday, July 28, 2007 7:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Uuuu really going to even consider someone who writes:

"In a sulfurous chasm beneath Reality, lit by the orange glow from what appears to be a river of molten Time, the serpent and the eagle have reached their moment of final reckoning."

Actually, I kinda like that. Good, evocative use of imagery, and the word choice lends itself well to the lugubrious rhythm. . .

To me, it sounds like something The Tick might say.

www.cpfc.org - my life
www.nbhs.school.nz - my work

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