Brintha Renganathan

July 24, 2013

Science Fiction: Continuation of a Trail

Science fiction does not, and cannot have just one definition. Each story is unique
and focuses on a different element. These elements have an aspect of our current
understanding of reality in them. So does it blaze new trails or does it reflect our time?
Science fiction uses the technology, social aspects, and current knowledge of our time to
create worlds not unlike our own. Each story has an element of reality and emphasis on
plausibility that both reflects aspects of our world and humanity but also pushes our beliefs
and understanding through visionary approaches. It is a plausible and prospective mirror
of our current history, through our present technology, present knowledge, and present
social conditions that does not necessarily blaze new trails, but instead advances on the
trails already created.
The futuristic and technological advances that generally accompany a science fiction
story each have an aspect of current technology in them. For example, scientists at this
exact moment are working on creating robots similar to those found in Isaac Asimovs
short stories in I, Robot. This example shows how science fiction reflects our current
history, but generally magnifies our efforts and demonstrates a potential outcome. The
robots at this time cannot perform all of the desired tasks that the fully operational and
almost human-like robots in I, Robot can, but science is on the verge of similar
technologies. Science fiction stories create a whole different world with inevitably new
kinds of problems that we would never currently experience in our lives. Humans would
not encounter the problem of a mind reading robot because we do not have robots that can
even form thoughts that clearly yet. This fact alone demonstrates how science fiction can be
a more prospective or visionary genre instead of a simply farfetched and fantastic one. One
day mind-reading robots may be a problem, and who is to say that this idea is implausible?
We are creating robots with similar features to those robots in science fiction stories, and
the near possibility of arriving at the same outcome is not visionary or idealized, but
possible and attainable.
Even trails already set may be altered. That knowledge of technology may not be
present now, but scientists and engineers are striving for end results that are this, or even
more, sophisticated. The possibility of its creation may be proven impossible at this time,
but who knows what is possible in the future? The idea of warp speed in star trek for
example is not considered possible because of Einsteins theory of special relativity which
states that no object can move faster than the speed light. Since we generally accept this as
true, warp speed would be considered impossible, but it may still be possible through
various other methods. Moving the space around the object instead of the object itself for
example creates a solution for us to accept Einsteins theory while also approaching the
chance of making it a reality. It is an idea like this that makes science fiction so popular.
Taking elements of todays knowledge and adapting it to create a method or idea unique to
understanding allows us to strive for, dream about, and even doubt our current knowledge
of the universe. These ideas are paths off of our original trail. They can empower us and
give us something to consider.
Social constructs and lifestyle can be viewed the same way as technology or
knowledge can. Our history shows many drastically different social atmospheres, and our
society changes daily. The laws and values we uphold today in the United States are very
different than they were even 40 years ago and are very different than the laws and values
held in other countries. Our society works in a certain way because our morals are taught
to us from birth. Science fiction takes these morals and either changes the situation to test
the morals or changes the societies values to create a new situation. John Varleys
Persistence of Vision is an excellent example of how our present social conditions shape
science fiction. Varley uses the current values we uphold in society and challenges them
within the blind and deaf society. He shows our society on one side of the fence and theirs
on the other. The characters forms of communication through sexual touch would not be
accepted in our society for example, but that unnatural social expression is an adaptation
of our current understanding of sex and communication and it creates the possibility that a
society like that could exist and thrive naturally.
Science fiction strives to answer many questions. Why? What if? What now? Science
fiction poses possibilities to these questions. Everything in science fiction has some
element of plausibility and looks into the future for answers. The stories all have an aspect
of reality because that is all we know. We can mold it and change it, but even the new
aspects are formed from a know idea. From the trails of thought already created, science
fiction leads us on the many paths diverging from it.