Science prophesy

[steve12553]

I was going to start another thread but I remembered this one. I just stumbled across another example of prediction. Some years ago (probably in the 1980s) there was talk of a Neutron Bomb that killed life but kept building and roads intact. It was supposed to be a clean bomb to allow a city to be depopulated and then safely taken over by the enemy after a while. It was debated for a while and a lot of moral objection were voiced. Eventually the talk died down and I haven't heard anything for several years.

Tonight, I put one of my Christmas gifts in the DVD player and watched one of the first Doctor Who episodes from 1963 "The Daleks" and listened to the story of how the Daleks unleashed a Neutron Bomb. It killed people but didn't damage the city. I thinks that's a little more that a coincidence, don't you?

 

[apokalypsis]

The role science fiction plays in our societies today is a lot like apocalyptic literature in ancient civilizations -- projecting future conflicts between good and evil, and dealing with ultimate things at the outer fringe of reality. After a few millenia, we humans are still fascinated with such scenarios as "aliens invade" and the end of the age.

These kinds of stories have fascinated people since the ancient Zoroastrians and Hebrews, though the source of "inspiration" and amount of credence ascribed to them has changed a good deal.

As for prophecy as a declaration of things fated to happen vs. a call for action, that could probably be argued for ages. Is a prophecy less prophetic because it required people's free will decisions to bring it about?

I think sci-fi has definitely fueled the imaginations of many creators and played an important role in the development of various technologies and media. (Case in point: the creators of Second Life have openly admitted to being inspired by Neal Stephenson's metaverse.)

 

[Harpo]

How well do the best sci-fi predictions compare with the detailed roadmap of the 21st Century?
Let's wait and see...

 

[K. Riehl]

I remember when Science Fiction was under the influence of the "Scientific American" effect. From late 40's to the early 60's discoveries and stories in science that appeared in Scientific American magazine would start showing up in science fiction stories about 3-4 months later. This ended when more technical information begain to be available from other sources, as well as the sad decision to "dumb down" the articles in the magazine. Today the internet, when there is actually content, seems to drive the ideas behind the stories.