Completely misses the bit where science fiction doesn't have a unified purpose. Some SF comments on current society. Some comments on trends. Some is escapist.

Completely misses the bit where science fiction doesn't have a unified purpose. Some SF comments on current society. Some comments on trends. Some is escapist. Some are warnings, and some are dreams. Some are didactic, or moralist, or propaganda. Some SF, like other kinds of art, is commentary on previous works of art. SF doesn't have a singular function any more than any other major genre of art has a singular function. And SF clearly transcends form -- is not the Chicago Bean SFnal? So there is SF illustration and painting, poetry and short stories, novellae and novels, epics, short films, feature films, music and sculpture.