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Something that's always bugged me about science fiction
Topic Started: Feb 8 2013, 06:42 PM (575 Views)
Resulli
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Zooba.
I can't speak for all science fiction but there seems to be something about the technology they have.....it always seems to spawn from some form of human design. As if it's an advancement in technology that we may someday reach. All of it's concepts can be explained away through some sort of logical steps, with a few missteps and leaps of logic, that end up making some sort of half-sense.

I've been reading this webcomic and it's been really good so far but it still suffers from the same problem. All the alien races still hold to concepts we, as humans, can understand. The same goes for the technology.

I realize there's only so far we can go as humans, only so far we can think and it's nigh impossible to think of any sort of fantasy that isn't at least a little tied to reality, but it's really bugged me. If we ever were truly dragged into space like with that webcomic there is nothing saying any of it would make any sort of sense or that it wouldn't cause damage to our minds from trying to comprehend what is happening or what we are looking.

Sometimes I despise the limits of the human mind and they become very apparent in fiction, particularly fiction that makes an attempt at explaining things unknown to mankind. It's not that I don't enjoy it regardless but it REALLY disappoints me when something can't be so unrealistic that it seems impossible humans came up with it. I don't even know if it's possible within the capacity of the human mind to do that.
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kungfucolin
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Go read some Asimov.
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Resulli
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Zooba.
I should mention that I fully admit to not having read any of the more high-brow science fiction.
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kungfucolin
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Start with Asimov's Mutants.

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Resulli
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Zooba.
I can get it for 18 bucks off of Amazon. Maybe I should go for it.
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kungfucolin
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It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.
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Bluehat
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Slayer of Man and Beast
You should also read Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
“My melon soul crushed by your Gallagher of apathy”- David Wong

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Resulli
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Zooba.
I might have to hunt it down from a bookstore or something. Amazon only has "good" copies and the "very good" ones are sixty bucks.
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Resulli
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Zooba.
Bluehat
Feb 8 2013, 06:58 PM
You should also read Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
There's one I've been meaning to read for a while now.
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Bluehat
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It's really quite intelligently written, I would also recommend John Dies at The End, technically humans came up with the stuff, but it all fits into the story, I won't go any more into it, you'll see when you read it.
“My melon soul crushed by your Gallagher of apathy”- David Wong

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Winternova
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Resulli
Feb 8 2013, 06:59 PM
Bluehat
Feb 8 2013, 06:58 PM
You should also read Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
There's one I've been meaning to read for a while now.
I'd suggest listening to the radio show (the original version of Hitchhiker's) and THEN reading the books. :-)

Not all science fiction holds to that trope. Babylon 5 avoids it, especially with the Vorlons and
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Bluehat
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Winternova
Feb 8 2013, 07:17 PM
Resulli
Feb 8 2013, 06:59 PM
Bluehat
Feb 8 2013, 06:58 PM
You should also read Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
There's one I've been meaning to read for a while now.
I'd suggest listening to the radio show (the original version of Hitchhiker's) and THEN reading the books. :-)

Not all science fiction holds to that trope. Babylon 5 avoids it, especially with the Vorlons and
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Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

Definitely listen to it first Res.
“My melon soul crushed by your Gallagher of apathy”- David Wong

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kungfucolin
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Hitchhikers guide is OK.
It hardly fucking compares to Asimov though.. wtf are you guys thinking, confusing res like this?
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Winternova
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Hitchhiker's is hilarious. Asimov is dry.

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kungfucolin
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Yes, this is true.. but if you're after comedy, why wouldn't you just read Charlie Sheen's Autobiography or some shit? This thread is about science fiction, right?
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Bluehat
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I honestly like Hitchhikers more, I love Asimov, but Adams just does something for me that no other author does.
“My melon soul crushed by your Gallagher of apathy”- David Wong

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Luchalma
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Science fiction and humor are not mutually exclusive.

And Res, you could read some Philip K Dick if you want to see crazy ideas with some not so great writing.
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Gabrius
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Shin Tyrant
If you're looking for television, Farscape is a good one that fits your criteria as well.
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Bluehat
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Slayer of Man and Beast
I think Doctor Who does to a point as well.
“My melon soul crushed by your Gallagher of apathy”- David Wong

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Luchalma
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Also just get a Kindle Res and join the rest of us in the 21st century.
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Winternova
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Red Dwarf

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Resulli
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Arucard
Feb 8 2013, 07:41 PM
Also just get a Kindle Res and join the rest of us in the 21st century.
You kids and you're new-fangled technology!
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CapwnD
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Long Live the New Flesh!
But explaining away the science is part of what makes Science Fiction so great.

I was going to suggest the Dick, and not just because of his name. His short stories are great, and an easy read. The Minority Report is a little longer, and of course familiar because of the movie.

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Resulli
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Zooba.
I realize that's why science-fiction exists and yet at the same time the fact that it stays within the realm of the human capacity of thought is what bugs me. If there truly was another race of beings in this universe, why is it science fiction just puts them into concepts humans can understand? As if they are just an advanced species that humans could evolve into or our technology can get that far eventually?

It's like people don't consider the possibility that there is more to the universe than we, as humans, can see. We are a species that recognizes patterns but anything that doesn't seem to follow a pattern is just nonsense to a human but perhaps this nonsense is simply beyond human intelligence. There's far more that our eyes can't see, as proven by the fact that some insects have eyes that can see ultraviolet rays while we cannot. There's gotta be more that we can't see, more that we can't feel even if it touches us....
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Buttface McBoob
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As said, Asimov and Philip K. Dick are amazing.

Must reads.

I'd like to throw Iain M. Banks into the bucket as well - especially the 'culture' series.

Beautiful science fiction, and very well written.

'The Player of Games' is particularly awesome.
Ooh Yeah!



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Buttface McBoob
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Resulli
Feb 9 2013, 06:08 AM
I realize that's why science-fiction exists and yet at the same time the fact that it stays within the realm of the human capacity of thought is what bugs me. If there truly was another race of beings in this universe, why is it science fiction just puts them into concepts humans can understand? As if they are just an advanced species that humans could evolve into or our technology can get that far eventually?

It's like people don't consider the possibility that there is more to the universe than we, as humans, can see. We are a species that recognizes patterns but anything that doesn't seem to follow a pattern is just nonsense to a human but perhaps this nonsense is simply beyond human intelligence. There's far more that our eyes can't see, as proven by the fact that some insects have eyes that can see ultraviolet rays while we cannot. There's gotta be more that we can't see, more that we can't feel even if it touches us....
The main issue is that some can't see past what they know, so what they write / draw / create is always based on their lives.

Same with games. Most (not all) fantasy / sci fi settings are so generic... EIther direct rip offs / homages / derivations of something gone before, or just like the world today with a different time stamp. There are some that do it very well in games, movies and books.

For books try reading the authors mentioned in this thread.
Ooh Yeah!



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kungfucolin
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Just to keep things in context here...

When it comes to Fantasy, someone might say: "hey, check out JK Rowling" to which another person might say, yes, but not until you've read Tolkien, and they would be right.

Same deal with [insert post modern sci fi author here] versus Isaac Asimov. (worthy mention goes out to Arthur C Clarke)
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