Science Fact or Science Fiction?

In Gregory Benford’s piece “Effing the Ineffable” he argues for a particular kind of science fiction derived from hard science. With the specific example of the alien, he explains how an author might go about creating the terrestrial setting of the planet and then logically, following what is understood about evolution and biology, derive its inhabitants. His own sci-fi novels are classified as “hard science fiction” because they have a basis in real scientific concepts. His thesis is that we derive some sort of value from building the unknown on top of what is known, and uses value judgments to categorize that as “good” science fiction.

I do not disagree with this concept, from a personal perspective. I enjoy movies and books that have some sort of realistic basis, even if the premise is completely unimaginable. Most of my favorite science fiction has some factual basis. For example, the science fiction romance Her that Anna suggested, expertly, in my opinion, took the current fact of our increased interest in online or virtual interaction, to its logical conclusion, forming a romance with an artificial intelligence. I thought some of the most poignant scenes in that movie were when the protagonist would walk through a city surrounded by real human people, only to ignore them in favor of the voice in his ear. The ending of the movie (spoiler) shows how that relationship was inevitably incompatible. Another example is the movie suggested by Ryan, Never Let Me Go, which played on the real science of organ donation by suggesting a future in which some humans are treated like organ farms. It made the very medically relevant point that using organ donation as a go-to option hindered development of other promising treatments. And my own sci-fi pick of the week, Cat’s Cradle, as I said in my post, plays on very real scientific principles.

The issue, as I see it, with Gregory’s contention is that he makes value judgments about some of the less scientific sci-fi. He writes, “I deplore the Star Trek view,” (23) in regards to how the show handles aliens. But by focusing on such a narrow range of alien stories as “good”, he cuts out vast swathes of pop culture, which probably have a more influential impact than the more obscure works he cites. One of the most powerful and profound things about science fiction is its influence. It is the influence of TV shows likes Star Trek that prompt us to dream about the future and the ways we might get there.