4 ms·

I seriously doubt that reading modern science fiction would have the same effect on anyone. Unfortunately. Unfortunately.

User23 8y ago
Fortunately there are plenty of old books to read if you prefer. Anything from Appendix N for example. Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp is a personal favorite.
flowersniffer 8y ago
I can't read the article right now, but I did click on the article. In the very first paragraph, Sagan is quoted to have said ‘Science fiction has led me to science.’ Now I am not sure if this is what the article about. But if it is, I can offer my own anecdote. I read "Blindsight" by Peter Watts (relatively modern) not so long ago and it did leave some big impression on me. Had I read it when I was very young, I can see myself getting interested in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, neuroscience, cosmology etc.
ecpottinger 8y ago
There are still lots of good science fiction written today. Unfortunately in the past many of the writers did it because they in turn loved science fiction. Many (most?) writers in the past barely made a living off their writing and many had to have a second source of income to continue. In other words they did write thinking it would make them rich. Today with science fiction movies like Blade Runner, Star Wars and Star Trek, and TV shows like West World and Doctor Who and successful books on the Best Seller list writers think there is big money to be made. This has us ending up with a lot bad writing from people hoping to break in without learning even the basics of science fiction much less learn real science itself.
- tsukikage 8y ago
  All media contains a mix of good things and bad things. The good things survive the test of time and, years on, are remembered and much loved; the bad things are quietly forgotten. So, when we look back at the past, it feels like the good we have now is much more dilute and harder to pick out than what we remember; but this impression is not an accurate reflection of reality. (The effect is even stronger with old foreign media, since only the better things crossed borders especially pre-internet but with each year we are exposed to more and more of the firehose).

User23 8y ago

Fortunately there are plenty of old books to read if you prefer. Anything from Appendix N for example. Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp is a personal favorite.

flowersniffer 8y ago

I can't read the article right now, but I did click on the article. In the very first paragraph, Sagan is quoted to have said ‘Science fiction has led me to science.’ Now I am not sure if this is what the article about. But if it is, I can offer my own anecdote. I read "Blindsight" by Peter Watts (relatively modern) not so long ago and it did leave some big impression on me. Had I read it when I was very young, I can see myself getting interested in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, neuroscience, cosmology etc.

ecpottinger 8y ago

There are still lots of good science fiction written today. Unfortunately in the past many of the writers did it because they in turn loved science fiction. Many (most?) writers in the past barely made a living off their writing and many had to have a second source of income to continue. In other words they did write thinking it would make them rich. Today with science fiction movies like Blade Runner, Star Wars and Star Trek, and TV shows like West World and Doctor Who and successful books on the Best Seller list writers think there is big money to be made. This has us ending up with a lot bad writing from people hoping to break in without learning even the basics of science fiction much less learn real science itself.

tsukikage 8y ago
All media contains a mix of good things and bad things. The good things survive the test of time and, years on, are remembered and much loved; the bad things are quietly forgotten. So, when we look back at the past, it feels like the good we have now is much more dilute and harder to pick out than what we remember; but this impression is not an accurate reflection of reality. (The effect is even stronger with old foreign media, since only the better things crossed borders especially pre-internet but with each year we are exposed to more and more of the firehose).