Wirt, you wrote :
> The very highly regarded ecologist/physicist Robert H. MacArthur who died in
> 1972 used to be fond of saying that "All mathematical models are a lie, but a
> lie that hopefully allows us to glimpse a bit of the truth." Fiction is like
> that at its best. But at its worst, it's merely escapism. And at its very
> worst, it becomes a delusion.

> At its best, fiction transports you to another time and place and allows you
> to live many other lives during your own lifetime, but it should never be
> taken so seriously that it becomes a substitute for reality.

I wasn't going to comment on this thread but , Wirt, you surprise me.
Having been an avid Science Fiction reader for most of my life and
having also noticed how many of the "fictional" ideas suggested in
such books have become reality in my lifetime, I regard good Science
Fiction writers as prophets of the future.
While scientists concern themselves with proven scientific fact,
science fiction writers can think "outside the box" (I know, I hate it
too but it works here), exploring ideas unlikely to be considered by
scientists.

The Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary describes Science Fiction
as :
Main Entry: science fiction
                     Function: noun
                     Date: 1851
                     : fiction dealing principally with the impact of
actual or imagined science
                     on society or individuals or having a scientific
factor as an essential
                     orienting component

As an example, at the time of writing, "1984" was complete fiction.
Indeed the technology included in the book hadn't even been thought
of. Nowadays, you only have to walk round London, UK or even my small
local town to see the proliferation of CCTV cameras. You only have to
pick up a Newspaper to learn about "double-speak" (how soon to
"thought-speak"? or is it already here?).  Can you really doubt that
some science fiction writers really do have their feet in the door to
the future? Unfortunately, in my experience, people who are committed
to "hard" science restrict their experience and imaginations to that
narrow tunnel.

Just my .02 Euros.

Cheers,

John Dunlop

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