Robert A. Heinlein, author and critic:
Science
fiction is "realistic speculation about possible future events, based
solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and
on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the
scientific method" (quoted by Knight in Bishop, Nebula Awards 25, 3).
Theodore Sturgeon, author:
"'A
good science-fiction story is a story about human beings, with a human
problem, and a human solution, which would not have happened at all
without its science content'" (as quoted in Atheling, More Issues, 12).
George Hay:
"Science fiction is what you find on the shelves in the library marked science fiction."
(Aforementioned quotes were borrowed from Dr. Agatha Taormina's web page): http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/
Which
of these quotations aligns with your definition of Science Fiction?
Please respond thoughtfully using references to class discussion, prior
knowledge, science fiction literature, science fiction films, etc...
Type using complete sentences. This blog response is due by 2:30p.m. on
Friday, August 21st, 2015.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll of the quotes have at least bits and pieces that kind of align with my definition of Science Fiction. I define science fiction as being any story that has supernatural, futuristic ideas, steam punk, or basically anything that involves humans encountering something extraordinary or maybe it doesn't even involve humans; maybe its about an alien on a steam punk planet fighting of zombies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the last definition, as it is the only one that is completely true. While science fiction could take place in the future, it could also take place in the past, like steampunk. It is a story that takes place because of science, but not necessarily about humans. It's a story about what happens when crazy things happen that are scientifically possible.
ReplyDeleteThe science fiction genre has a different personal meaning for everyone. While we agree on a few certain characteristics that define literature as science fiction, my definition of science fiction is a futuristic, dystopian (or utopian) story about a society that involves use of very advanced technology or ideas. It is the concept of change within our world that allows us to think outside of the box. My definition fits most with the quote by Robert A. Heinlein. " [Science fiction is] realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method" (quoted by Knight in Bishop, Nebula Awards 25, 3). Many famous science fiction novels predicted incredible technology that was created in the future. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne predicted the submarine and technology to fly to the moon. War of the Worlds by Robert H. Goddard inspired the rocket. Science and technology is a main theme in these books, often creating a dystopian feel. Using past and present events, these authors created literature that stunned readers with their incredibly advanced ideas.
ReplyDeleteThe first quotation is the most accurate. Science fiction is mostly based on events or inventions that could possibly exist in the future. By viewing the slideshow and reading about classic sci-fi, I conjured up the idea that as authors' ideas and inventions have evolved, so has sci-fi itself. The earliest stories were mostly about adventure and discovery, new technologies and robots, and the most recent is a more psychological themed story. Looking to the past, some authors' creative fictitious inventions or ideas have become a very true and ordinary thing in life today (ie TVs are the parlor walls in Fahrenheit 451 and we have began to see the irrelevance of books- maybe not as aggressively- when we can download something on an iPad). The authors have an amazing imagination and must have a great "understanding of nature and the scientific method".
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's understanding of Science Fiction seems most agreeable with me out of the examples listed in this post. Entering into SciFi literature for the first time in my life, this seems like the most logical way to define what the genre is. SciFi seems like an educated guess at the future using technology of the present, often times criticizing what society lacks to give the middle class the highest quality of life.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned in class when we were discussing our takes on the SciFi article excerpt "Steam Man & Airships" that SciFi premiered in a time when transporation was one of the most tedious parts of life. Life then, I'm certain, was lacking in modes of transportation especially over vast distances. So SciFi in that era was a form of criticizing the laborious methods of transports available. Today, SciFi focuses on the mental health of our youth, the lack of social achievement, and various environmental issues.
My definition would be that Science Fiction is a subtle way to criticize society's short-comings with inspiring suggestions toward a solution based on the knowledge we have access to today.
All of the quotes resonated with me in some form or another for example from the first quote by Robert A. Heinlein in the sense that most Science fiction has that basis of science and the scientific method. And the second quote because most if not all has some sort of human element to it whether its appearance, morals, or a problem with a "human solution as Theodore Sturgeon said. Finally, I resonated with the third quote because science fiction is really exactly what George Hay said which is it is films, books, short stories, and other forms of media categorized as Science Fiction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first quote, Science Fiction is mainly a speculation of what our lives and world will look like in time. Science Fiction could be just science in years down the road. Igor Sikorsky, the inventor of the modern helicopter, once said,"Anything that one man can imagine, another man can make real." Sikorsky got the idea of the helicopter from a Jules Verne book, Clipper of the Clouds. This proves that science fiction can be made into some real piece of hardware. Science Fiction is possible and could be our future.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the first quote is much more accurate than the second one when it comes to defining Science Fiction. The first quote explains what Science fiction is in so much detail, the other quotes just give a quick summary. Science fiction is taking futuristic ideas and putting some logic into it. If it were to have unrealistic ideas and it can’t be explained by using some logic, then the story should be fiction. What I remember from what Mr.Trotter had told us was that an author had imagined sonar long before it could be invented. He took a futuristic idea, and put scientific reasoning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Robert A. Heinlein quote about science fiction because science fiction is all about future things that are believable and that could become a reality someday. As in the show Star Trek, the Next Generation, the captain and crew use iPads to control things around the ship. iPads are already a thing today and have been for a few years showing that technology in science fiction shows can become real.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of science fiction, aligns with the quote by Theodore Sturgeon. “ A good science fiction story is about human beings, with a human problem, with a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its scientific content”. After taking notes on the slide show, and learning how much, the society at the time, affected what was written in science fiction, I agree that a good story, has a human problem or future concern, and is resolved by using future technology and innovation. I think that this quality of science fiction writing, is what makes it so appealing to audiences and readers. There is a certain connection that a science fiction story shares with humans. Whether it is the fear of the future, or pursuing to make the world better with technology, Theodore Sturgeon has a perfect definition of science fiction. It is about how a story can reflect a future story in one's life. It is about being able to accurately make entertainment or fear out of the readers thoughts and concerns.
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ReplyDeleteI agree most with all of the definitions is some way or another. The first talks more about the realistic side of science fiction and how it gets created on a bigger scale. The second one reiterates this idea, just with less explanation on the cause and effect side of things. The third one says what nobody else wants to say in their definition, but what everyone is thinking. I agree with them because my definition of science fiction would be something similar; to me science fiction is realistic ideas of what the future will look like and what will be present in futuristic times based on educated guesses comparing the past and now as well as upcoming scientific advances.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first quote by Robert A. Heinlein "realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method". I agree with this because science fiction is about the future and what will happen and how stuff that is imaginary right now could become reality in 40 years or so. In society right now we have robots and awhile ago robots they were just something in movies and things that people thought could never be created.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of Science is most similar to Robert A. Heinlein's definition of Science fiction. In Heinlein's definition of Science fiction he describes Science fiction as a realistic prediction of the future by using prior knowledge about the past and present. I think that this fact is evident in almost every Science Fiction novel. For example, when we read Steam Man and Airships: Technology of the Future in the Past, the Frank Reade novels of the late 1800’s combined the technology of the future with the technology of the present in the form of a steam powered robot. I also agreed with him when he said that Science fiction requires a thorough understanding of nature and the significance of the scientific nature. I think for an author to be able to write a good Sci-Fi story he has to be able to understand science and its foundations. My definition of science fiction aligns most with Robert A. Heinlein’s definition.
ReplyDeleteI believe all these quotes contain a definition of science fiction. Robert A. Heinlein's quote goes the most in depth into what science fiction really is. He states that most works of science fiction use extrapolation to write their stories. I believe that science fiction is anything away from the normal way of life and shows, realistically, what the world might be like in an alternate or future time. Many science fiction stories contain technology that may have been considered ridiculous at the time but not always impossible to see being created in the future. I also believe that science fiction doesn't always have to be based in a futuristic realm, but can be anything as long as it contains humans dealing with science, creating problems with science and then solving those problems with science. As long as the story has science and fiction, I believe that it can be called science fiction.
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ReplyDeleteThe quotes that include my definition of Science fiction is chopped between all three quotes. But the one that most definitely describes my definition of Science fiction is the third one by George Hay How he says that "Science fiction is what you find on the shelves in the library marked science fiction." I really agree with this because I don't know much about this genre. That's why I chose this class because I have read 2 books of Science Fiction and have really enjoyed them. I chose this class because I wanted to know more about this genre. I define Science Fiction as a genre. A genre that has been around for a while that deals with human problems and human solutions. So the answer is that George Hay's quote represents my understanding of Science Fiction most.
ReplyDeleteAlex Hershey
My definition of Science Fiction relates to Robert A. Heinlein's definition of Science Fiction. I agree that Science Fiction can possibly predict future events, like it said in the slideshow we watched. I really enjoy all of the futuristic things about Science Fiction, but I also like how it isn't too much about technology, and can also relate back and talk about present time things. Science Fiction is a wide genre with many things and topic to write about within the genre. This is why I choose to take this class. I really enjoy reading Science Fiction books, and I think that this class will help me better my understanding about them, and make me enjoy them more.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of Science Fiction relates to Robert A. Heinlein's definition of Science Fiction. I agree that Science Fiction can possibly predict future events, like it said in the slideshow we watched. I really enjoy all of the futuristic things about Science Fiction, but I also like how it isn't too much about technology, and can also relate back and talk about present time things. Science Fiction is a wide genre with many things and topic to write about within the genre. This is why I choose to take this class. I really enjoy reading Science Fiction books, and I think that this class will help me better my understanding about them, and make me enjoy them more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heinlein’s definition of science fiction. Science fiction novel have to have some aspects of science in them to be considered science fiction. Take the Harry Potter series as an example. There is some sort of wizard science in the novels but it isn’t possible at all; therefore, the Harry Potter series is not science fiction. However the hovercraft in The Hunger Games have a scientific explanation that is more realistic and aligned to our current knowledge of the universe. This is why I agree more with the first definition by Mr. Heinlein.
ReplyDeleteOut of the three definitions of science fiction that you provided, I would have to say that my definition most aligns with with Heinlein's. In the sci-fi stories I have read and watched, there are many different examples of technology being predictions about what humanity's scientific future may hold. Take Star Trek for example, in the show, the actors used 'commmunicators' to talk with the Starship Enterprise whenever they are away, or to talk to other members of the crew. When you take a look at those communicators today, they seem a lot like cell phones, which got developed much after the show itself came out. The creators of the show used what was around then, being landline phones, and made an assumption of what the technology could turn into. On a similar topic, the Star Trek series also takes a look into space travel, which was thought about 3 years before humanity set foot on the moon. Based on other spacial ventures of humanity during the decade, it was also a reasonable assumption that one day mankind would make it to distant planets and galaxies. So far humanity has only gotten to the moon, but NASA and other space programs have plans to get humanity to Mars by the mid 2030's, which is the start of the exploration of space. Sci-fi starts out by looking at a certain scientific fact, and making probable assumptions of what that fact may turn into in the future, turning it into fiction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first quote Sci-Fi is only a speculation about what is to come in the future there is no telling if what it says is going to happen though. I think sci-fi is like a prediction but it is also used to strike fear or thrill people. Many people never though there would ever be planes or any new technology that we have today, but through writing sci fi I think they accidentally predicted the future
ReplyDeleteI think the second quote represents the definition of science fiction. The basis of most Science Fiction is a human problem being aided with technology to help resolve this problem. This was briefly talked about in the slideshow we went over in class. The story about the first radar is where one of the greatest scientists of his time uses a space flyer and an early form of radar to chase after the enemy. That is how the second quote represents the definition of Science Fiction.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first quote. My interpretation of it is this: “Science Fiction are the stories that stretch the limits of what is known and creates and idea of what could be, based on what we have.”
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction is when science and creativity collide. The creative part is when the writer writes this fantastic new creation, and from that moment in time anyone who reads about it has the potential to make the idea a reality. Science Fiction is a vision, a way to describe the future as that specific writer sees it. For someone one day to make that idea come true.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Luke McDaniel in that Harry Potter is a great example of science fiction. Science fiction to me is a look into the future of technology. Harry Potter shows real life examples in a semi realistic setting that shows the pros and cons of science fiction. As we head into the future the real mysteries are still out there, but maybe science fiction can predict them before we can.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction is when science and the wondering mind of a human combine to form literature. The writer imagines a world, and incorporates science to explain it all. Science fiction is the dreams of future technologies now, that might possibly become real.
ReplyDeleteScience fiction in my opinion is some realistic ideas and thoughts about science with mixes of unrealistic ideas but it keeps it interesting and makes you want to think on a broader level.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction in my opinion is a mix of realistic ideas and inventions in a past time period. Some ideas can be sometimes very unrealistic but that is science fiction.Science fiction can make you think harder and really think in a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction in my opinion is a collection of ideas that are in the present but are taken to the next level and make it into something that may happen in the future.Examples can be space travel,armageddon,aliens or someone with superpowers.
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