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.'"

Comments

Only on slashdot

[CodeDragonDM]

Only on Slashdot will you find an article saying we need more science fiction as news.

Re:And then, we....

[selven]

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.

Re:Adolescent fantasies

[lyinhart]

Now that you mention Asimov, I think he wrote something that basically sums up the need for science fiction:

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