The Purpose of Science Fiction

Back in January, Slate posted this great little article by Robert J. Sawyer about the purpose of science fiction, other than entertainment:

"At the core of science fiction is the notion of extrapolation, of asking, "If this goes on, where will it lead?" [...] That said, our job is not to predict the future. Rather, it's to suggest all the possible futures—so that society can make informed decisions about where we want to go." 

I once met a guy who didn't read any fiction. His argument was fiction isn't real and therefore it was a waste to spend time on something that had no real-life applications.  As an avid reader I was shocked by such a mentality (actually I think this was my reaction). I'm really excited that this article points out that there is more to reading than mere escapism and articulates that point much better than I could.

I also want to plug author Sylvia Endahl, especially Enchantress from the Stars and its sequel The Far Side of Evil. Even though they were published in the 70s, the issues the ponder are still relevant today.


[The Purpose of Science Fiction]