Unraveling the mysterious relationship between scientific fact and science fiction
Science fact and science fiction have long been intertwined, dancing a delicate tango between reality and imagination. At first glance, they may seem like polar opposites – one grounded in empirical evidence and the other soaring through the realms of pure fantasy. However, a closer inspection reveals a complex relationship that goes beyond mere surface differences.
Exploring the Boundaries of Possibility
Science fiction serves as a gateway to uncharted territories, pushing the boundaries of what we perceive as possible. Through its fantastical narratives and futuristic technologies, it challenges our notions of reality and opens our minds to the endless possibilities that lie ahead. From space exploration to time travel, science fiction sparks our curiosity and invites us to ponder the great unknown.
About the Book
Science fiction is a literary genre based on scientific speculation. Science fiction works use the full range of scientific ideas and vocabulary to create valid narratives that explore the impact of science on future events and humans. Science Fact and Science Fiction examines how science has propelled science fiction and how science fiction has influenced science in a single volume.
It discusses the science behind fiction from the classical period to the present, but the focus is naturally on the 19th century to the present, when the Industrial Revolution and remarkable advances in science and technology led to a flood of science fiction works speculating about the future. As scientific developments alter our expectations of the future, the literature absorbs, appropriates, and adapts such contextual visions.
The purpose of this encyclopedia is not to present an inventory of science and its applications in literary fiction, but rather to study the ongoing currents and countercurrents of influence, including how fictional representations of science influence our views of scientific practices and disciplines. In addition, since science is an international issue, works from non-English-speaking countries will be addressed as needed.