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Funny this article refers to hard SF, but does not mention the branch of SF into which econonics fits: soft SF. And some soft SF writers, like Le Guin, do have
by joeyh 17y ago
Funny this article refers to hard SF, but does not mention the branch of SF into which econonics fits: soft SF. And some soft SF writers, like Le Guin, do have a strong background in social sciences, and do write things that at least glancingly cover economics.
But the best example I can think of is Barnes's _A Million Open Doors_, set in a world that has just been exposed to a disruptive new technology. The resulting crash of its markets is a central theme of the novel.
- gaius 17y agoI'd say the opposite: hard SF needs an underlying economic model for it to work, because the protagonists are necessarily resource-constrained. Alastair Reynolds is particularly good at this: in his universe, interstellar travel is possible using a combination of relativistic time dilation, suspended animation and various therapies and enhancements for longevity - there's no FTL. If his characters have to go get something from another star system, they have to sit down and think, well, is it worth it? And it will take X years anyway, so let's spend a few years getting ready. Star Trek even had to abandon any concept of economics because there's no viable model for it in their soft-SF universe but even so: the Federation's resources are finite. How do they decide what planets to colonize, how many starships to build, who is the poor schmuck who fixes the replicators?