Man. I love Science Fiction.
Spider Robinson once wrote this, in the book Time Pressure-
"That's part of what I'm trying to convey. I had read science fiction since I had been old enough to read, attracted by that sense of wonder that they talk about- and read enough of it to have my sense of wonder gently abraded away over the years. People who read a lot of scifi are the least gullible, most skeptical people on earth. A longtime reader of sf will examine the flying saucer very carefully and knowledgeably for concealed wires, hidden seams, gimmicks with mirrors: he's seen them all before. Spotting a fake is child's play for him. (A tough house for a musician is a roomful of other musicians.)
On the other hand, he'll recognize a real flying saucer, and he'll waste very little time on astonishment. Rearranging his entire personal universe in the light of startlingly new data is what he does for fun. One of sf's basic axioms, first propounded by Arthur Clarke, is that 'any sufficietly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Confronted with a nominally supernatural occurence, a normal person will first freeze in shock, then back away in fear. An sf reader will pause cautiously, then move closer. The normal person will hastily review a checklist of escape hatches- "I am drunk"; "I am dreaming"; "I have been drugged"; and so forth- hoping to find one which applies. the sf reader will check the same list- hoping to come up empty. But meanwhile he'll allready have begun analyzing this new puzzle-piece which the game of life has offered him. What is it good for? What are its limitations? Where does it pinch? The thing he will be most afraid of is appearing stupid in retrospect."
Spider Robinson is an incredible writer. Great story teller. I think it's funny, I've been reading sci-fi since I was old enough to read, and this is kind of the way I am. I love writing. so much. I'm never going to stop.
"That's part of what I'm trying to convey. I had read science fiction since I had been old enough to read, attracted by that sense of wonder that they talk about- and read enough of it to have my sense of wonder gently abraded away over the years. People who read a lot of scifi are the least gullible, most skeptical people on earth. A longtime reader of sf will examine the flying saucer very carefully and knowledgeably for concealed wires, hidden seams, gimmicks with mirrors: he's seen them all before. Spotting a fake is child's play for him. (A tough house for a musician is a roomful of other musicians.)
On the other hand, he'll recognize a real flying saucer, and he'll waste very little time on astonishment. Rearranging his entire personal universe in the light of startlingly new data is what he does for fun. One of sf's basic axioms, first propounded by Arthur Clarke, is that 'any sufficietly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Confronted with a nominally supernatural occurence, a normal person will first freeze in shock, then back away in fear. An sf reader will pause cautiously, then move closer. The normal person will hastily review a checklist of escape hatches- "I am drunk"; "I am dreaming"; "I have been drugged"; and so forth- hoping to find one which applies. the sf reader will check the same list- hoping to come up empty. But meanwhile he'll allready have begun analyzing this new puzzle-piece which the game of life has offered him. What is it good for? What are its limitations? Where does it pinch? The thing he will be most afraid of is appearing stupid in retrospect."
Spider Robinson is an incredible writer. Great story teller. I think it's funny, I've been reading sci-fi since I was old enough to read, and this is kind of the way I am. I love writing. so much. I'm never going to stop.
posted by Erik at 4:11 AM
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