blowing smoke: a blog
 

Sunday, May 10, 2009

I've probably written before on fantasy vs science fiction, but another perspective hit me today.  My position's been for a long time that fantasy stories result in their ending because the world works a certain way - actors are important, but only because Powers That Be have set the board.  Sci-fi results usually depend on the unique strengths of being human, often a particular type of human (often libertarian, I'm realizing, as I read the older stuff).  Horror gets lumped in with fantasy because supernatural threats and especially their exploitable weaknesses are a function of the setting, not the protagonists.  Make no mistake - Battlestar Galactica was fantasy that included science.

Sitting in church today, I realized the common name for these categories is religion and science.  Famous fantasy writers are notoriously (and unsubtly) Christian: Tolkien, Lewis, L'Engle, Rowling, Card.  I must say I don't know much about the religion of science fiction writers - that might be first evidence.  I am sure there are exceptions, and I don't mean to question the beliefs of anyone just based on their genre - I just think I see a trend.  It also explains to me why I have very few friends who read both sci-fi and fantasy - most of them also pursue one or the other of religion and science primarily if not exclusively.  The few I can think of who translate seamlessly also pursue both sets of knowledge (or at least have a respect, not just tolerance, for both).

Me?  I like both fantasy and sci-fi.  My absolute favorites are fantasy, but I read a lot of both fiction genres.  As to the broader knowledge, my science and religion shelves are pretty close to each other, separated only by philosophy (I think - been a while since I looked at the shelves of books I've read).  I get a science magazine, but my non-friend blog tastes run to religion.  And I really dig into discussions of how science and religion mesh (or clash, if you like).

Anyway, this might be ridiculously repetitive and unfresh, but it struck me today.  So I wanted to jot it down.  Thanks for reading this far.

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Comments:
I liked science in school. The Old Testament was my favorite subject.
 
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