Is science fiction dying?

Can a genre become obsolete?

Bruno Maddox, over in Discover magazine makes a startling statement as he observes participants of the Nebula Award weekend–

“Science fiction, the genre that lit the way for a nervous mankind as it crept through the shadows of the 20th century, has suddenly and entirely ceased to matter.”

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/blinded-by-science

Now why would he make this claim? He draws attention to the various ways science fiction has shaped our modern society, both for good or bad–such as using the term “Frankenstein” in conjunction with today’s genetic research and tampering, or the shrinking of privacy and growth of government surveillance as “Orwellian.”

Maddox says it’s because science fiction has lost its connection to the actual sciences which are its underpinning, and such technologies or physics simply become a plot point for a spiffy story. He also lists another factor in that works of fiction (in all genres) have lost their place in society as a vehicle for significant ideas and philosophies. This is due to things like shortened attention spans, the Internet, etc. People go to books for pure entertainment, rather than anything that might change their mindset and the way they view the world. This is arguable, in my opinion. I do accede that a lot of people read for the escapist aspect, but that lowering of mental defenses in order to be entertained makes it all the easier for an author to subtly insert their worldview, faith and philosophy of life throughout the actions of their characters and the entire setup for their story in the first place.

Lastly, science fiction is endangered by the way in which the world is speeding up. Technology and science in the real world is bounding forward at such astounding speeds that our natural sense of curiosity and amazement is being fulfilled without having to pick up a book. Why shell out for fictional technology when what we have is pretty amazing in itself? iPods and iPhones are two obvious examples, along with wireless Internet and the slowly growing practice of private space flight.

David Louis Edelman also touched on this.

The end of science fiction

He asks whether anyone can name a science fiction story in which the characters themselves tell futuristic science fiction stories? Will there come a point where we are no longer writing about potential futures, but living them? Will there be a time where we will understand our universe so well that nothing is speculative anymore?

Or will there always be another frontier to explore? Another level of science that can be drawn out into the wild unknowns and open the way for a whole new kind of story?

Debate at will.

I see that smile.