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A Case For the Necessity of Science Fiction
unc0nn3ct3d writes "This article makes an interesting point about the necessity of science fiction — or, more specifically, speculative fiction as a tool to aid in the long-term survival of the human species. 'We live in a world that is incredibly frightening for a growing portion of the population because of the exponential rate of change we are experiencing. Our world is changing so fast now that we often don't have time to contemplate the full ramifications that come with the increasingly rapid adoption of new technologies and social changes. Most often this is simply because these changes are being introduced almost one after another after another, without any time to breathe. Speculative fiction, however, if widely adopted, makes it almost instinctive that we think about these situations and possible outcomes before they even arise.'"
Only on Slashdot will you find an article saying we need more science fiction as news.
When were you born? Sure the tech changes now aren't as extreme as they may have been in some other historical time periods (around 1900 the radio, car, and airplane all showed up in only a few years) but we do have a lot of technological change still happening. Moreover, the technological change that is happening is change that raises ethical concerns. For example, surveillance technology and other technologies that raise privacy issues have become far more advanced. Medical technologies of all sorts (genetic engineering of all sorts is a very recent issue) have become far more common and practical. Moreover, the pace looks like it is going to continue. And these are but a few examples. There are many others which bring up both ethical and societal issues. It might seem like the only change in the last 20 years has been cell-phones, but that just means that one hasn't been paying that much attention to technologies that aren't in your pocket or on your desk.
Suck us into the fifth dimension? You're already in the fifth dimension. You're already in every dimension that exists. Saying you're not in the fifth dimension is like saying a ship has no altitude. It's incorrect - the altitude is zero relative to sea level.
Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today — but the core of science fiction, its essence, the concept around which it revolves, has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all..
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov
Freedom is drinking a beer in the park when you're supposed to be at work.
Reminds me of a much earlier article by Athena Andreadis: http://www.starshipreckless.com/stories/archives/The%20Double%20Helix.pdf The Wired article's author is listed as 'admin'.... wonder if admin has read any of Athena's articles... Of course, there is nothing new. No doubt many have penned similar sentiments before. I'd take a slightly different tack and suggest that imaginative work in any realm is not only essential, but part of the human construct. We thrive on extending our possibilities through thought experiment. We stagnate when the imagination fails.
If all you look at is the internet and cellphones then yes, changes haven't been drastic (merely progressive).
But in terms of genetics? robotics? medical technology? Just because you can't see them doesn't make those changes non-significant.