Alone among genres, sf recognizes that we live not just on a planet but in a cosmos and have not just a past and a present but also a future. Thus, sf is the only realistic sf. Poul Anderson's sf asks:
What is reality?
What is humanity?
How should society be organized?
Is history cyclical?
What are the long term prospects for humanity, consciousness and intelligence?
As the Emperor Frederick says when Manse Everard relates sagas and Eddic and skaldic poems:
"'You open another whole universe!'"
-Poul Anderson, The Shield Of Time (New York, 1991), PART SIX, 1245alpha, p. 396.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I would argue with Uncle Rogi about SF being allegedly "escapist" in any negative sense. I was reminded of how J.R.R. Tolkien asked C.S. Lewis who were the people most hostile to "escapism." Tolkien answered his question by saying: "Gaolers
I agree with you about how SF writers like Poul Anderson ask questions and propose speculative answers to the questions you listed. SF is REALISTIC in a profound sense!
Sean
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