POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : Yes, that time : Re: Yes, that time Server Time
8 Sep 2024 21:21:31 EDT (-0400)
  Re: Yes, that time  
From: Darren New
Date: 24 Jun 2008 19:59:24
Message: <48618a5c@news.povray.org>
Jim Henderson wrote:
> That works as well, covers both genres.  Most people conflate "Science 
> Fiction" with "Science Fantasy". 

I find there's a very easy distinction to make (that many don't). 
Science Fiction explores the results on people or society of technology.

So, if you can recast it without the science/technology, it isn't SF. If 
it's completely fantastic science, but the story is about the *science*, 
then it's SF.

In that sense, Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court would be Science 
Fiction, because it was primarily about what the Yankee did with modern 
technology. Star Trek is (mostly) not science fiction.

Of course, the lines can still be blurry, but I personally don't think 
"science fiction" is about whether it's "hard" or not, but about whether 
the focus is science (or technology) or whether the focus is something 
you could equally set in the Old West or Medieval Europe.  (Indeed, Iron 
Man presented as "the first guy to invent armor in 600 AD" would count 
as "science fiction" by this definition.)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.


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