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 3:40p.m. on Friday, August 24th, 2018.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Hay's quote aligns pretty close to what I think the definition of science fiction is. In all of the crazy books and novels that I read that are labeled as Sci Fi, they all have the human factor in common. I think that is because that we as humans want our own to do amazing things. The most recent sci fi book that I read has a premise of a single human out in the cosmos interacting with lots of aliens. There were many requests from readers to the author to put more humans into the story. Humans like to have humans in the story that are improvements over themselves, that is what makes science fiction.
ReplyDeleteThe quote by Theodore Sturgeon is mainly what I think of when I think of science fiction. It's generally about humans who have gotten into a certain situation because of a new technology they've decided to use. I think the show Black Mirror is a very good example of the types of science fiction this describes, but there are also certain science fiction books and movies that have aliens and different creatures. The aliens wouldn't have been because of new human technology.
ReplyDeleteRobert Heinlein's quote relates to what I thought of science fiction because it shows the power of science and what positive/negative effects they can have on the human race. Science fiction is based on abnormal science and that is what Heinlein explains.
ReplyDeleteI think Robert Heinlein's quote most accurately shows the definition of Science Fiction. Science fiction has everything to do with events in the future and past. Movies like Starwars and Interstellar which are based in the future or past show what science fiction is based upon.
ReplyDeleteI feel Theodore Sturgeon's definition of science fiction is the most similar to mine. The basis of sci-fi should be the effect technology and human behavior has on an outcome. Sci-fi is asking all of the “what-if” questions and exploring them in a human sort of way. The original movie 1902 movie “Le Voyage Dans Le Lune” or “A Trip to The Moon” asks the question “what if we could travel to the moon?” Mary Shelly asked “What if we could create life” and explored that through Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. Star Trek brings past and current issues into a cool, out of this world adventure. Many roots of sci-fi are explorations of human character in relation to technologies and innovation.
ReplyDeleteScience Fiction is your imagination on paper. Science Fiction is your world. Science fiction books are just sneak peeks in other peoples minds.
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ReplyDeleteScience Fiction is about things that are super futuristic and advanced. Also is deals with time travel and things being super advanced. A good example is Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's definition relates closest to mine, because when I think of science fiction, I often think about the movie Avatar, and the tv show Westworld. Both Avatar and Westworld are made up through imagination, the ability to think of a world different from the one we live in now. Another planet with creatures and species like no other, or even going back in time to the wild west that is advanced and populated by android-human hosts. That's what science fiction is, the ability to think of a world beyond the one you're currently in.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's definition is very similar to my definition of science fiction in that it s based on a certain realisticness or in the realm of nature based on the past present or future technology or inventions and trends.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of science fiction is most closely aligned to Robert A. Heinlein's definition. I truly also believe that science fiction is gathering knowledge on the past and present and predicting how the future will turn out. The movie and book the Maze Runner is a prediction of future advancements in technology and how the future may turn out to be. Also reading the article "Steam Man and Airships" in the pictures throughout, it predicts how something may turn out to be in the future and how it actually turned out to be. Science fiction is a combination of the past, present, and future, as well as technology, nature, and human behavior and actions.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Robert Heinlein's quote is the most accurate definition of Science Fiction. Science Fiction is not just based in the future as the Star Wars movies are a long time ago. Science Fiction is based in both the future and past and some examples of movies taking place in the future are Ready Player One or the Avengers film series.
ReplyDeleteI would most closely agree to Robert H because like we've discussed in class, science fiction has and often predicts the future, through the understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method. For example, the new study of stem cells possibly extending the human life by 100 yrs was science fiction and never thought of as fact until recent times.
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ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's definition of what is the meaning of science fiction is one of the most accurate. As science fiction is a genre that has a tendency to be futuristic, modern, innovative. I feel that this meaning has done a good job of discussing that. But that's not what it's all about, science fiction has so many more aspects to it; science fiction does not only mean the new modern world, reconstructed to look nothing like today, but it also involves the past. I say this because I believe that science fiction is where change occurs, change that we haven't seen before, change in which can affect the entire world. These changes can be caused by science or something far greater.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's definition of what is the meaning of science fiction is one of the most accurate. As science fiction is a genre that has a tendency to be futuristic, modern, innovative. I feel that this meaning has done a good job of discussing that. But that's not what it's all about, science fiction has so many more aspects to it; science fiction does not only mean the new modern world, reconstructed to look nothing like today, but it also involves the past. I say this because I believe that science fiction is where change occurs, change that we haven't seen before, change in which can affect the entire world. These changes can be caused by science or something far greater.
Sturgeon’s definition of science fiction closely aligns with my definition of science fiction. I believe that science fiction revolves around human beings and the problems that they face. Whether that be a social, physical, or mental issue. All of the science fiction books that I have read involve a human problem that is solved through the use of science and new technology. I think science fiction is more about humans and new technology than aliens and unique creatures.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein's definition of science fiction resonates with me the most. I believe that science fiction is a for us to somehow comprehend the future of the world. For example, the Frank Reade stories had many tools and stuff that would be invented in later years. I think that science fiction is a great way for us to somehow visualize and conceptualize the future of the world
ReplyDeleteI think that Robert A. Heinlein's definition was the best because it in my opinion really sums up what I think science fiction is at least in every science fiction book that i've read. His definition also is easy to understand and I feel like futurism is a large part of science fiction like Robert A. Heinlein says.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't entirely agree with any of them, save for George Hay's, which you can't really argue with.
ReplyDeleteHeinlein's is pretty good. If he considers steampunk or "Back to the Future" sci-fi, even though now its technically not the future but it is in the time it was created/the setting its in, then I can agree with him there.
I disagree that it has to be realistic or grounded in many ways. Throw any guy into a spacesuit, give him a raygun, and have him fight an alien and you have a science fiction piece. It may not be a GOOD science fiction piece, but that doesn't matter for the purpose of classification.
Sturgeon's is too limited. A sci-fi piece doesn't have to have anything to do with humans, nor does it have to have a human problem or human solution. You could maybe argue that any sapient alien/advanced robot should fall under that definition, but you'd have to redefine what is 'human'. Is it just being conscious? Do you literally have to be a homo sapiens sapiens?
I agree with Robert A. Heinlein on how science fiction is based on the future and what events may happen.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein point on science fiction helps support my belief that it is not only based on past and present but helps pave the way for future technology and events to happen. I've notice this many times in different pieces of literature. Such as the hand maids tale and fahrenheit 451.
ReplyDeleteI agree most with Robert A. Heinlein's definition. I find science fiction to frequently be a prediction of what the author thinks technology will be like if we continue our current trends. While these predictions tend to be very hyperbolic, they serve as both a grim warning as well as a hypothesis for the lab that is human society
ReplyDeleteAs much as I do agree with George Hay's definition of science fiction I do connect to Robert A. Heinlein's definition as well. I have always looked at science fiction as a possible future or world that is possible for humans to reach. Wether it be an alien invasion or a dystopian society, these things are available to humankind. Robert A Heinlein's definition adds onto this as well. He describes that these things are possible through scientific method.
ReplyDeleteI agree the most with Robert A. Heinlein’s definition of science fiction, because there is very little things that aren't based on modern technology that just come from the author's imagination. Even the concept of time travel is based on things that the author has seen before, for example the time machine in Back to the Future is a car. Everything that is created in science fiction is based on knowledge of the current world and what technology we have in our world today.
ReplyDeleteTheodore Sturgeon's quote is similar to what I think about science fiction. In many cases science fiction is about humans who have started to realize the consequences regarding technology. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is the most recent sci-fi book i've read. In this book the main character started to realize the flaws of his society that were caused by the popularity of technology.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Heinlein, in many ways, science fiction predicts the future. Science fiction can inspire so many people to make the future they only dream about. It makes it seem more possible and achievable when you read about your favorite characters doing what you want to do.
ReplyDeleteScience 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).
ReplyDeleteThis quote aligns mostly with my view of science fiction. Science fiction is a depiction of the past, present, or future that uses advanced technology for its time.
The definition of science fiction is: A realistic prediction or depiction of society, usually having been affected by new or different ideas. This definition is not perfect however, because these qualities can be found in literature that one would not necessarily call science fiction. Science fiction is really something you just know is science fiction. Like a perfect turd, it can really be described, but when you see it you know.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Hay:
ReplyDelete"Science fiction is what you find on the shelves in the library marked science fiction."
I chose this definition because I have only heard of science fiction as a book and movie genre. This also seems like the most appropriate definition.
I believe Theodore Sturgeon's quote on science fiction is the perfect definition for the genre. It involves a dilemma that people during this time couldn't imagine being a problem in today's society. The dilemma could not have existed without the science and technology that exists in the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree Heinlein's definition the most. Although one major disagreement I have is that not all Sci-Fi has to take place in the future. An example of this is time-traveling movies where the characters go into the past.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein said it the best way you could
ReplyDeleteGeorge H. made the best statement to me, science fiction isn't something you can define because it means something different to everyone. The quirky open ended quote dose not define science fiction, and that;s why i believe its the perfect quote.
ReplyDeleteRobert A. Heinlein
ReplyDeletebut it in good words its mostly about a realistic speculation about possible future events. most movies or books for me will have a relatibal to your life some way
I agree with George Hay's quote, because science fiction is undefined in my books. I believe science fiction defines itself by being science the is faux or fake. basically just made up stories that are in depth and particularly done so, in a way that sounds realistic
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